


The Boy At The End Of The Corridor

by bemorequill



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sicknesses/Diseases, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:26:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 23,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21832900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemorequill/pseuds/bemorequill
Summary: When Jeremy's grandmother ends up in the hospital, he goes everyday to visit her. While he's there, he meets a boy named Michael. He's from the Philippines, and was transferred to a hospital in New Jersey to get emergency treatment. The boys form a strong bond,however things aren't always what they seem,and soon Jeremy will realize that the small New Jersey hospital his best friend is staying in doesn't have the best intentions. *(I’m not fluent in Tagalog,so translations will be provided at the end of each chapter where it is used)* *(I am also not a doctor,so I will do my best to research any illnesses or diseases mentioned)*
Relationships: Jake Dillinger/Rich Goranski, Jeremy Heere/Michael Mell, Jeremy Heere/Rich Goranski, Michael Mell/Dustin Kropp, Michael Mell/Jeremy Heere, Rich Goranski/Jake Dillinger, Rich Goranski/Jeremy Heere
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	1. Waiting Room

It was a normal day at Middleborough High for Jeremy Heere. 

The end of his junior year was approaching, and he was anxious to get out of school for the summer. 

He had math last period, so he walked into the classroom and took his normal seat towards the back. 

The rest of the students filed in, and the teacher walked to the front of the class. 

"Good afternoon everyone! Today we're going to be-" She got interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. 

"Excuse me for a moment." She said, picking the phone up. 

"Hello?" 

A moment of silence passed and the teacher turned to look at Jeremy. Coincidentally, so did everyone else. 

Jeremy noticed Christine looking at him, and he felt his face go red.

The teacher pulled the phone away from her ear and held it to her chest. 

"Jeremy Heere? You're being dismissed." She told him. 

He nodded wordlessly and got up from his seat, before walking out of the room. 

He shut the door firmly behind him and walked down the stairs. 

He saw his dad waiting in the lobby, with a stressed look on his face. 

"Dad, what's wrong?" Jeremy asked, walking up to him. 

"I'll tell you in the car." He replied, as they made their way outside.

When they got into the car his dad turned to him. "Your grandmother is in the hospital. She's not doing too well." He told him.

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Grandma Beth is in the hospital? What happened?" He asked his dad.

"She had a stroke. She just got admitted, so I thought I'd take you up to see her."

Jeremy sat in his seat,his head leaning against the window. He was worried sick about his grandmother.

The rush hour traffic hadn't started yet,so the ride to the hospital was fairly short. When they got there, they walked through the main entrance.

"Hello,we're here to see Lois Beth."Jeremy's father said. 

"Room 200. First room on the left." The woman behind the desk replied. 

They made their way to the elevator,and pressed the button for the second floor. 

The ride up was only ten seconds,but it felt agonizingly longer. When it reached the floor,Mr.Heere was the first one to exit. 

"Come on." He said,leading Jeremy to the hospital room.

When they arrived,Jeremy knocked softly on the door. "Grandma Beth? Can we come in?" He asked. 

The door opened and he stepped back. A nurse walked out. "You must be here for Lois. She'll be resting soon,so you mustn't stay long." Mr.Heere nodded and walked by her.

There laid Jeremy's grandmother and Mr.Heere's mother. She was eating some applesauce. 

She looked up and put the spoon down. "Hello boys." She smiled softly.

"Hi mom,how're you feeling?" Mr.Heere asked.

"I'm alright,just taking it easy for now." She replied. She pushed her glasses up onto her face and smiled. "Come see me,Jeremy." She said.

Jeremy smiled shyly and walked over to hug his grandmother. "My,you've grown so much. I've missed you." She told him.

"I've missed you too,Grandma." He mumbled.

"Oh,that reminds me!" She exclaimed,pulling away from the hug. 

She turned to the side of her bed and picked up a red hoodie. "The boy at the end of the corridor left this here when he was visiting me. Return it to him,would you?" She asked Jeremy.

He nodded. "What's his room number?" 

"Room 210,right wing of the hall at the end." She replied. 

Jeremy gripped the hoodie in his hands and made his way down the hall. When he reached the room,he found that the door was already open. 

He walked inside and saw a boy laying on the bed watching tv. He had a face mask on,so Jeremy assumed he was really sick. 

"Uh,hi." He said,waving to the boy.

He must've not noticed he was there,because he jumped a little bit. 

"Sino ka?" The boy asked,his voice muffled. 

Jeremy's eyes widened. His grandmother didn't tell him the boy couldn't speak English. 

"Uhh,you left this in my grandmother's room. She asked me to return it to you." Jeremy told him.

The boy got up from his bed and stepped into the light so Jeremy could see him better. Woah. 

His skin was tan,and he had dark brown eyes and black hair. He was also wearing black framed glasses. He was beautiful.

Jeremy stuck out his hand and held the hoodie with his other one. "I'm Jeremy." He said.

The boy blinked at him. "Michael." He replied.

"Can you speak English?" Jeremy asked. Michael stared at him. 

After a few moments of silence,Jeremy held up his hoodie. The boy's eyes lit up and he grabbed it from his hands.

"Maraming salamat!" He exclaimed with joy.

It took Jeremy a few minutes to figure out what language he was speaking. It was Tagalog.

"Sorry,I don't speak Tagalog." Jeremy told the boy. 

The boy obviously didn't understand him,but he leapt forward and suddenly hugged him. 

Jeremy didn't know what to do. All he knew about this boy was his name. Something in his mind told him to hug Michael back,so he did. 

Michael was warm. That's the first thing to Jeremy noticed. He smelled like the hospital,of bleach and cleaning disinfectant. But he could also smell a hint of vanilla,and a spice he couldn't quite identify.

Michael suddenly let go of him and and stepped back. The sudden loss of warmth made Jeremy feel empty. 

He looked up at him. "Michael?" He mumbled.

Michael pointed to the doorway and Jeremy turned around. "What's-" He paused.

There was a short Filipino woman standing in the doorway and glaring at Jeremy. She stomped into the room,and right up to him.

"Sino ka? Anong ginagawa mo sa anak ko?" She demanded,getting up in Jeremy's face.

He stepped back,embarrassed. He tripped on Michael's foot,and the other boy had to grab him. 

The woman stepped towards him,and Michael stood boldly in front of Jeremy.

"Iwanan mo lang siya,mama. Binabalik lang niya ang sling hoodie." Michael said. 

Jeremy didn't understand a word that he was saying,all he got was "mama." The woman was obviously Michael's mother.

She seemed delighted to see Jeremy now,because she turned to him with a smile on her face. 

"Maraming salamat sa pagbigay nito sa aking anak! Ito ay isa sa kanyang pinakahalagang pag-aari." His mother fired off. 

Michael chuckled softly and tapped his mother on the shoulder. "Nanay, hindi siya nagsasalita ng Tagalog. Maaari kang makakuha ng ma?" He asked her.

She nodded and rushed out of the room. She returned a few seconds later with another woman. She had light brown hair and brown eyes. 

She walked up to Jeremy. "Hello!" She greeted.

Jeremy blinked. "Hi." 

She smiled. "Don't worry,I speak both Tagalog and English. I assume you're the boy Monae was telling me about it. My name is Sabrina." She introduced herself.

"I'm Jeremy. Sorry,I didn't mean to cause any trouble." He replied.

"Oh don't worry about it,my wife's just overprotective of her little boy is all. I am too,of course." She laughed softly.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah." He said. Michael had two moms? He felt bad for him. He was forever stuck in a infinite loop of "go ask your mother." 

"Do both Michael and your wife only speak Tagalog?" Jeremy asked Sabrina.

She nodded. "Yeah. Thankfully I can understand both. We came to this hospital all the way from the Philippines. We heard it was one of the best in the country." She explained.

"If you don't mind me asking,what is Michael sick with? Why is he here?" Jeremy asked.

Sabrina looked sadly over at her son. He had taken off his face mask,so he clearly wasn't contagious. His mother was helping him get ready for bed. Jeremy noticed he had pac man sheets. He had the same ones. 

"We don't know. He wasn't feeling well one day,and we took him to the local doctor. Where we live,the doctors aren't the best. They sent us here without so much as a word on his condition. We're hoping they don't find anything too bad. We just want to go home." Sabrina sighed. "Sorry,I didn't mean to dump all of that on you." 

Jeremy immediately shook his head. "No,it's ok. I just met Michael today,but he seems really cool. I'd like to be his friend,if that's ok with you." He told Sabrina.

Her eyes lit up. "Of course!" She exclaimed. "I'd love for you to be friends with Michael. From what Monae told me,he seems to like you very much." 

Jeremy blushed. "Gee,thanks. Do you think I'd be able to-" His dad burst into the room. 

"Jeremy,what are you doing? Visiting hours are over,we have to-" Mr.Heere paused,and everyone in the room stared at him.

"Uhh,excuse me for barging in. I just need to get my son home,he's got school in the morning." Jeremy's father said. 

Sabrina smiled warmly. "No worries,why don't the two of us talk in the hallway?" She turned to her wife. "Teka,sayang." She said.

Monae and Sabrina went into the hall and shut the door on their way out,leaving Jeremy and Michael alone in the hospital room.

Michael patted the spot next to him on the bed,and Jeremy assumed he wanted him to sit with him. He walked over and sat down on the bed.

Michael smiled up at him and pulled out a gameboy. Jeremy beamed. "You have a gameboy?" He then remembered Michael couldn't understand English. 

He nodded nonetheless. He turned the game system on and Pokémon yellow flashed across the screen. Michael handed the game to Jeremy. 

He had left off on the final gym battle with Giovanni. He pointed to it and shook his head. Jeremy guessed he couldn't beat it. 

Sabrina opened the door and walked into the room. "Jeremy,could you come here for a second?" She asked. Jeremy nodded and out the gameboy down. 

When he walked to the front of the room,Sabrina pushed a book into his hands. "I want you to keep this,and use it to communicate with Michael."

Jeremy looked down at the book. It was a Tagalog to English dictionary. He clutched it tightly to his chest. He didn't know why he was holding it so close to him. 

"I'm going to talk to Michael and see if I can get him to use a notebook to talk to you. He'll write things down in Tagalog,and you can look them up in the dictionary. I can also help you learn to speak a little bit of it,if you'd like." Sabrina said. 

Jeremy nodded,way too enthusiastically. "I'd like that. Do you think I'd be able to come back tomorrow? I can come down after school." He asked.

"Of course!" Sabrina exclaimed. "I'm sure Michael would be delighted to see you again." She paused and looked at the clock on the wall. 

"Oh,it seems it's getting late. We're going to be staying here for the night,just in case anything happens." Sabrina said. 

"We'll be on our way then. Thank you for letting my son stay here for a while." Mr.Heere said to Sabrina. 

"No problem!" She replied. "I trust I'll see you both tomorrow?" 

Both Jeremy and his father nodded. 

Sabrina smiled. "I'll see you two later then. Michael,magpaalam." She told him.

Michael looked up from the gameboy and waved shyly at Jeremy. "Paalam,Jeremy." He murmured. 

Jeremy blushed and waved back. 

Sabrina,Monae,and Mr.Heere gave each other a knowing glance. Jeremy and Michael both blushed and looked at one another. 

Mr.Heere and Jeremy waved goodbye to the three and walked down the corridor. Grandma Beth had already gone to sleep, so they were going to go home.

When they climbed into the elevator and pressed the button that brought them to the parking garage,Mr.Heere was grinning.

Jeremy looked over at him,confused. "What?" He asked.

Mr.Heere just smiled and shook his head. Jeremy rolled his eyes and started walking to the car. 

They got inside and drove home. By the time they got there,Jeremy was exhausted. He dropped his backpack down,thankful that he had no homework. 

He changed into sweatpants and an oversized t shirt that had one of his favorite video games on it,Apocalypse Of The Damned. 

His mind couldn't help but wander to Michael. He wondered if he knew about the game. 

He climbed into bed and turned off the lamp,slowly drifting off to sleep.  
————————————————————————  
Tagalog Translations: (the order for the first two is switched):

Maraming salamat:thank you very much!

Sino ka?-who are you? 

"Sino ka? Anong ginagawa mo sa anak ko?"-who are you? What are you doing to my son? 

"Iwanan mo lang siya,mama. Binabalik lang niya ang sling hoodie."-Leave him alone,mama. He was just returning my hoodie.

"Maraming salamat sa pagbigay nito sa aking anak! Ito ay isa sa kanyang pinakahalagang pag-aari."-Thank you so much for bringing this back to my son! It's his most prized possession. 

"Nanay, hindi siya nagsasalita ng Tagalog. Maaari kang makakuha ng ma?"-"Mama,he doesn't speak Tagalog. Could you go get mom please?" 

"Teka,sayang."-"Come on,honey."


	2. Friendships Forged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy and Rich form a new found bond over a friend,and they go with Jake to visit Michael in the hospital. The kind of chaos ensues that can only be caused by four teenage boys.

Jeremy groaned as his alarm clock went off. He had spent all night thinking about Michael.

He got up and quickly ran a brush through his hair before putting on a pair of jeans and his usual blue cardigan.

He stood waiting by the bus stop until the bus chugged up. He climbed onto it and flopped down into the seat.

He sat by himself in the the seat for about fifteen minutes until the bus pulled up to the school. Surprisingly,he hadn't gotten tripped yet.

When he walked into the school,he checked the clock. He still had twenty minutes before first period began.

Before he could turn his head,Rich had slammed him into a locker. "Yo tall ass,where'd you go yesterday? Had a blowjob appointment?" He sneered.

Jeremy bit back the remark that was on the top of his tongue,and shrugged Rich off to walk to class.

"Hey,I'm talking to you douchebag!" Rich shouted.

"My grandma had a stroke. She was in the fucking hospital." Jeremy spat,feeling a spike of confidence. 

The fiery spark in Rich's eyes dulled. "Shit man,I'm sorry." 

He paused,and a beat of silence passed. "What hospital?" Rich asked. 

"Why should I tell you?" Jeremy sneered. "You're probably gonna go beat up my grandma."

Jeremy hesitated,but decided to tell Rich. What's the worst that could happen? 

"She's at the Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore Center." He told him.

Rich's eyes widened. "You're kidding." 

Jeremy gave him a confused glance. "Umm,no?"

"Dude,you know how we're writing those penpal letters in English?" Rich asked.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah,why?" 

"There's this guy I know at the hospital. Super chill. You might know him." Rich replied.

Jeremy knew there was no chance that Rich knew Michael. After all,it was a huge hospital. 

"His name's Michael Mell. He's our age." Rich said.

Jeremy's eyes widened. "You know Michael?" 

Rich nodded. "I was set up with him. He's my penpal." 

"I wanna go visit him with you." Rich told Jeremy. 

Jeremy winced a bit. "Uhh,I don't know man. I'd have to take my dads car,and he doesn't know you." 

Rich shrugged. "I can drive us. You wanna meet at my car after school? It's the red Pontiac firebird. It's got flames on it." He said.

Jeremy nodded. "Sure,why not." The bell for first period and Rich gave him finger guns as he ran down the hall.

Jeremy turned around and started to walk to class,thoroughly confused. Was Rich his friend now? 

The rest of the day went by slowly. At lunch,Jeremy realized that he hadn't packed anything,and didn't have any money in his account,or any money in his pocket in general.

So he sat there,at the table by himself. Someone dropped something in front of him. 

He looked up,and Rich was glaring at him. "Eat that,tall ass. You're all skin and bones." He said with a blush. 

Jeremy held back a smile. "Thanks Rich." 

Rich was about to say something,when someone came up behind him and shoved him into the table.

His head whipped around,only to lock eyes with Dustin Kropp.

"Hey Goranski,what're you doing with this fag? We're sitting over here." 

Rich seemed conflicted but he shook his head. "Nah,I was just telling him about how I'm gonna beat the shit out of him." He replied.

Rich turned to Jeremy and winked,and the other boy smiled. 

"Are ya sure?" Dustin asked. "Because it looked like you were giving him food. He ain't your boyfriend is he?" He sneered. 

Rich was interrupted by someone grabbing Dustin's shoulder. It was Jake. "Leave them alone,Dustin." He said. 

Dustin jerked away from him. "What if I don't wanna? You might as well be one of em Jake,a fa-" He stopped.

Jake had grabbed him by the arm and twisted it back. "Wanna finish that sentence?" He growled.

Dustin shook his head. "N-No."

"Good." Jake said. He let go and Dustin ran over to the table.

Jeremy found Jake's display terrifying. Rich,although he would never admit it,thought it was hot.

Jake looked over at Rich and Jeremy. "You guys okay?" He asked.

Rich nodded. "We're fine. Thanks man."

Jake nodded as well. "No problem." 

Rich pointed at Jeremy. "By the way,he's our bro now. He knows Michael,that penpal kid." 

Jake smiled. "Michael's real cool. His mom writes the letters for him,but Rich told me he speaks Talagog." He said.

"He does." Jeremy replied. "His mom actually gave me this,since I'm going to visit him now. He's in the same hospital as my grandma." Jeremy said,pulling the dictionary out of his bag.

"Yo,when are you visiting him next? I wanna come." Jake asked. 

"I was actually gonna drive us after school. You can come with us if you want." Rich said. 

Jake nodded. "Yeah,I'll meet you two at your car after school." 

The bell signaling the end of lunch rang and Jeremy trudged off to his final two classes of the day.

They went by surprisingly fast,and before he knew it,he was outside at Rich's car. 

Rich climbed into the front seat and Jake was in the passenger side. Jeremy climbed into the back. 

They started driving,and Rich turned on the radio. It started blasting some pop music that Jeremy hadn't heard before. 

When they arrived at the hospital,Jeremy saw that his dad was already there.

"Hey dad,Jake,Rich and I are gonna go see Michael." Jeremy told his father.

His father glanced at Rich and Jake with a puzzled expression on his face. He nodded. "Alright,I'll be with your grandmother." 

Jeremy led them to the elevator and they climbed in. He presses the up button and it brought them up to Michael's floor.

When they got there,Jeremy saw Michael walking with a walker down the hall.

"Michael!" Jeremy called. He looked up and a smile broke out across his face. 

"Jeremy!" He exclaimed. He abandoned the walker and tried to run towards him. He started to fall.

Jeremy ran over faster than the speed of light and grabbed him. Michael looked up at him and blushed lightly. Jeremy did the same. 

Rich and Jake stood in the back grinning at one another. 

"Ayos ka lang ba?" Jeremy asked softly. He had been studying the dictionary during a class that he particularly disliked. 

"Ayos lang ako." Michael replied.

Jeremy sighed in relief. He was alright.

Rich walked over and looked at Michael. "Jeremy,will you ask him if he knows me?"

Jeremy nodded and flopped through the dictionary. 

"May kilala ka ba Rich? Siya ang nagsusulat ng mga liham sa iyo." Jeremy said. 

Michael nodded and looked at Rich with a smile. 

"Kaibigan tayo." He replied.

"He says that you're friends." Jeremy told Rich. 

Rich nodded in approval. 

"Tell him about me!" Jake exclaimed. 

Jeremy smiled at his enthusiasm and turned to Michael.

"Ito si Jake. Siya at si Rich ang aking mga kaibigan." He told him. Michael nodded and smiled. 

The rest of the evening was spent with Jeremy racing Michael up and down the hall in his wheelchair,and Rich and Jake trying to learn Tagalog. 

Michael was happy. He never wanted things to change. Unfortunately,things don't always go the way you want them to.

-  
Translations:  
•"Ayos ka lang ba?"-"Are you alright?"  
•"Ayos lang ako"-"I'm fine."  
•"May kilala ka ba Rich? Siya ang nagsusulat ng mga liham sa iyo".-"Do you know Rich? He's the one who writes you the letters."  
•"Kaibigan tayo"-"We're friends."  
•"Ito si Jake. Siya at si Rich ang aking mga kaibigan"-"This is Jake. He and Rich are my friends."


	3. The Three Of Us (Or Maybe Not)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jeremy is visiting his grandmother in the hospital,she suggest he and Michael go to the upcoming dance together. Meanwhile,Michael meets a new friend.

When Jeremy went to the hospital the next day,he went to visit his grandma first. He found that she wasn't in her room,so he walked down the hall to Michael's room.

Michael wasn't in there either. 

He had walked in with his dad,who was waiting in the hall. He walked out,and shrugged.

His dad thought for a moment. "Let's go look for them in the common room." He suggested. 

They took the elevator down to the common room, and walked to the center of the room. 

Jeremy looked around,and then spotted Michael sitting at a table with his grandmother. They were playing checkers.

"Michael!" Jeremy called.

Michael turned his head at the sound of his voice, and he grinned. He smiled at Jeremy's grandmother,and to Jeremy's surprise,he told her, "one moment." 

Michael wheeled towards him in his wheelchair,and Jeremy couldn't keep the smile off his face. 

Michael threw his arms open and Jeremy hugged him. 

"Na-miss kita,Jeremy." Michael mumbled against his shoulder. 

The words clicked. 

"Na-miss kita din,Michael." Jeremy replied. Tagalog was becoming easier for him,and he was glad. 

Michael hugged him tighter, and Jeremy felt his heartbeat thrumming against his chest.

"Michael,are you alright?" His mother asked,rushing over.

"Yes." He replied in perfect English. 

Jeremy's eyes widened. "He's learning English?" He asked his mother.

She nodded. "Yes,we've been teaching him. He wants to better communicate with you,but he also wants you to continue to learn Tagalog."

Jeremy nodded. "I'd love to keep learning." 

Grandma Beth wheeled over to him with a smile on her face,and beckoned him close.

"I have an idea." She whispered. 

Jeremy turned to her. "What is it?" He asked.

She grinned. "They have a dance in the common hall tonight. You and Michael should go. I'll be there too. We can all spend the day together." She suggested. 

Jeremy smiled and looked over at Michael. "That sounds good." 

Michael grinned and pulled Jeremy back over to the table,where the checkers board lay, previously abandoned. 

Grandma Beth sat on the other side of the table, and rearranged the pieces.

Jeremy didn't quite remember how to play checkers, but thankfully, he didn't have to. An announcement came over the loudspeaker. 

"All patients please return to your rooms. Dinner is abut to be served." For some reason, the voice made Jeremy feel uncomfortable. 

He checked his phone. "Why is dinner so early? It's like, 4:30." He said. 

Mr.Heere chuckled. "Most of the patients here are old people. You know how they love eating and sleeping early."

Jeremy shrugged. "I guess."

Michael tugged on the sleeve of Jeremy's cardigan, and he sensed that he wanted him to go with him. 

He followed Michael to his room, while Mr.Heere went with his mother. 

One of the nurses brought Michael his food, and the left. When he lifted up the lid, he gagged.

Jeremy leaned over to see what it was, and he raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with it?"

Michael pointed to the ham with a disgusted expression. "Ham." He said 

Jeremy bit back a laugh. "You don't like ham?"

Michael shook his head back and forth. Jeremy looked down at the plate to see what else there was.

There were mashed potatoes and gravy, and some corn. It was a sad excuse for a meal. 

Jeremy thought for a moment. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get you something." He told Michael. 

The other boy nodded, and Jeremy dashed out of the room. He went to Grandma Beth's room, and walked up to his dad. 

"Can I borrow the car? I want to get something for Michael." He said.

Mr.Heere sighed. "I don't see why not."He handed Jeremy the keys, and he headed to the parking lot. 

He knew exactly where he was going to go. 

He put in the directions to the nearest 7-Eleven on his GPS, and started off. 

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Michael's mothers had left the room to talk to the doctor. He wondered what Jeremy was going to get him. 

Michael found that his mind often wandered off whenever he thought about Jeremy. He thought about how much he wanted to hold his hand, or listen to him talk. 

He was shaken from his thoughts, when he saw someone enter the room. However, it wasn't Jeremy or his mothers.

In fact, this person was a complete stranger. He had black hair, and was wearing a football jersey. 

He looked at Michael and grinned. "Sup, I'm Dustin."

Michael waved shyly. The boy was really cute. "I'm Michael." He replied. 

Dustin smiled, and his hair fell in front of his eyes. 

Michael's heart thumped in his chest. 

Dustin walked more into the room, and stood near Michael's bed. "Can I sit?" He asked.

Michael nodded. He wondered why he could suddenly understand English a lot better.

Dustin at down on the bed. "This food looks disgusting,dude."

Michael didn't quite catch what he had said, and his eyes wandered over to the translation book. Jeremy must've forgotten it. He picked it up from the nightstand and gave it to Dustin. 

Dustin looked at it, and everything seemed to click. "Oh, you speak Tagalog huh?" He noted. 

Michael nodded. He grabbed a notepad and a pen from the nightstand, and started writing. 

Dustin grabbed the note once he finished writing, and read it over. 

"Hindi ako matatas sa Ingles, ngunit sapat na ang alam ko upang makarating doon, sa palagay ko." It read.

Dustin flipped through the pages in the book, and quickly translated what the note said. "I think your English is pretty good." He said. 

Michael smiled. "Salamat." He told him. 

"You're welcome." Dustin replied with a grin.

Michael suddenly felt shy. He fiddled with the sleeves of his hoodie. Dustin coughed to resolve some of the tension in the air.

"So,I heard there was a dance here tonight." He said, tracing his fingers over his name that was stitched onto the sleeve of his jersey. 

Michael nodded. "Yes."

Dustin blushed. "I kinda wanted to go, but you need to be invited by a patient." He said. 

All previous thoughts of Jeremy left Michael's mind. He grabbed Dustin's sleeve. "Go with me." He simply said. 

Dustin blinked. "You sure?" He asked. 

Michael nodded. "Yes."

Dustin smiled and picked up the food tray. Michael was confused, until he leaned down to hug him. "I gotta go. I'll be back later, okay?"

Michael nodded and smiled, waving him goodbye. Once he left, the room was empty yet again. 

He felt a strange pang of sadness when Dustin left. However, he quickly replaced his frown with a small smile when Jeremy entered the room.

"Hey, sorry it took so long." He smiled. 

Michael shrugged and leaned over to see what was in the bag. The action made Jeremy laugh. 

In his other hand, Jeremy was holding a tray with two drinks in it. He set them down on the table. 

He kept one drink for himself, and handed the other to Michael. "Drink it." He told him.

Michael hesitantly took a sip,and his eyes widened. Jeremy grinned. "Do you like it?"

Michael nodded. "Cherry?" He asked. Jeremy nodded enthusiastically. 

Michael slurped down the rest of the drink before Jeremy could say anything else. 

All of a sudden, his head felt like it was going to explode. He winced. 

Jeremy jumped. "Are you okay?" He asked. 

Michael's eyes met his. "Hurts." He simply said. 

Jeremy chuckled. "You've got a brain freeze. You drank it too fast."

Michael pouted. Jeremy laughed and placed his drink down. "Lemme try something."

He rubbed his hands together to make them warm, and then wordlessly pressed one to Michael's forehead. He blushed. 

He shut his eyes gently, and the headache began to go away. Jeremy pulled his hand away after a few seconds. "Good?" He whispered.

Michael nodded. "Good." 

Jeremy smiled at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when the door opened. It was Michael's mothers.

"Thank you for keeping him company,Jeremy. You and that other boy." Sabrina said.

Jeremy turned to her. "Other boy?" He asked. 

She nodded. "I believe his name is Dustin Kropp." 

Jeremy froze. He turned to Michael with a hurt expression on his face. 

"You were with Dustin?" He asked. 

It took Michael a moment to piece what he was saying together but when he got it, he nodded hesitantly. 

Jeremy took a shaky breath. "I-I have to go." He said, moving to grab his stuff.

Michael grabbed his arm, and Jeremy shook him off. "Don't." He simply said. 

He contemplated taking his translation book with him, but then figured that he wouldn't need it. Dustin had probably used it anyway. 

Before he left the room to go meet his father, he gave Michael a once over. "I'll be back tonight. For my grandma." He said. 

With that he slammed the door shut, leaving Michael and his mothers in the room, speechless.   
-  
Translations: "Hindi ako matatas sa Ingles, ngunit sapat na ang alam ko upang makarating doon, sa palagay ko."-"I'm not fluent in English, but I know enough to get by, I think."


	4. Save The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a semi-falling out with Michael about Dustin,Jeremy decides to give a Rich a call. Little does he know, the blonde boy has some plans for a night out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW:The f word slur is used.

When Jeremy got home,he stomped straight up to his room and flopped down onto his bed. 

He shoved his face into his pillow,and he hadn't realized he was crying until he felt his pillow being soaked.

There was no one he could think to talk to about this,when an idea struck him. Rich had given him his phone number the other day.

He hesitated,his finger not quite tapping the screen. Should he really call Rich? 

He made his mind up a few seconds later,quickly pressing the button. 

The line rang for a few seconds,before he picked up. 

"The fuck do you want?" Rich asked. His voice was husky,like he had just woken up. Jeremy felt himself blush. 

He suddenly remembered who he was talking to. "Sorry,did I wake you?" He asked.

Rich cleared his throat. "Yeah. But don't worry about it. You sound upset,what's wrong?"

Jeremy sighed. "Can I FaceTime you?" 

Rich didn't reply,and seconds later,his face appeared on the screen. Jeremy accepted the call.

Rich grinned. "You look like shit,Heere." 

Jeremy chuckled,and looked at Rich. His hair was messed up. "You're one to talk,rooster boy." He teased.

Rich snorted. "You're an asshole." 

Jeremy's heartbeat sped up. He was glad he and Rich had become friends.

"So,what happened? Why were you crying?" Rich asked.

Jeremy frowned. "You know how I go to visit Michael at the hospital everyday?" Rich nodded. "Go on." He said.

Jeremy breathed in shakily. "I-I went to 7-Eleven to get Michael a slushie,and when I came back,his mother said that Dustin was there." 

Rich's eyes widened. "That's not good." Jeremy shook his head. "It's not." 

Rich thought for a moment. "Isn't there a dance thing in the common tonight?" He asked. 

Jeremy nodded. "How'd you know?"

Rich ran his hand through his hair. "Jake and I found out that his grandpa was in there. Do you think Michael's going with Dustin?" 

Jeremy frowned. "Probably." 

Rich hummed. "Well,Jake's grandpa was gonna invite him,but football practice is running late tonight." 

Jeremy blinked. "So?" 

Rich blushed. "If Michael is giving his ticket to Dustin,and your ticket is coming from your grandma, then I can take the extra ticket from Jake's grandpa."

Jeremy blushed as well. "What're you implying?" 

Rich smiled nervously. "Wanna be my date to the dance?" 

Jeremy smiled,but it quickly faltered. "This isn't like,a joke,right? Dustin's not paying you to do this?" 

The spark in Rich's eyes dulled a bit. "No,he's not. I understand if you don't-" He got cut off by Jeremy laughing.

"I'd love to go with you,Rich." He smiled.

Rich grinned,showing off his pearly white teeth. "Great. Wear something nice. I'll pick you up at 7:30 in my Pontiac." 

Jeremy smiled. "Okay,I'll see you then." 

As soon as he hung up,Jeremy began looking through his closet. He found an old suit from his bar mitzvah when he was thirteen. 

He tried it on,and it surprisingly still fit. It was a little tight around the waist,but Jeremy was sure Rich wouldn't mind.

He gelled up his hair,and and replaced his glasses with contacts. 

By the time he had told his dad where he was going,and was finished getting ready,Rich was in his driveway.

When Jeremy climbed in,Rich was blasting blink-182. "Hey Jer!" He exclaimed.

Jeremy smiled. "Hey Rich. You look good." 

The other boy was wearing a tuxedo,and his hair was slicked back. 

He smiled at Jeremy and started to pull out of the driveway. "So do you,man." 

They drove for half an hour until they pulled up to the hospital. They walked in,and grabbed their tickets.

Grandma Beth was in the common room,talking to Jake's grandfather. She waved him and Rich over.

"Hello boys!" She greeted. "We were just talking about Jake and you two." She said.

Her eyes wandered around the room and landed on Michael. "Your friend's over there. He's with another boy though." She told him.

Rich caught Jeremy's grimace,and spoke up. "I think we're just gonna hang for a while." 

Grandma Beth nodded. "You boys have fun!" She called.

Jeremy and Rich hung around the refreshment table,until a slow song started. 

Jeremy tapped Rich's shoulder and pointed to the middle of the dance floor. Grandma Beth and Jake's grandfather were dancing together.

Rich laughed. "Let's hope they don't get married." 

Jeremy chuckled. "Why not?" 

Rich blushed. "This may be a bit of a shock to you,but I really like Jake." He whispered.

Jeremy paused. "Then,why'd you ask-" 

Rich grabbed his shoulder. "This isn't because of money or anything,I swear." He promised.

Jeremy led them to an empty table. "So,what's so special about me if you like Jake?" 

Rich shrugged. "I guess I'm just trying to discover myself." 

Jeremy felt a small smile creep across his face. Rich looked down.

Jeremy reached for Rich's hand across the table. "I don't mind helping you out with that." 

Rich smiled and stood up,pulling Jeremy onto the dance floor. "Let's go." 

Eventually,a faster song came on, and Rich spun Jeremy around. He felt himself bump into someone. 

He let Rich go and turned around,and he locked eyes with Michael.

Dustin glared at Jeremy,and tried to pull Michael closer to him. He shrugged him off.

"Michael-" Jeremy started.

The other boy wordlessly grabbed his arm,and pulled him over to where he and Dustin were.

Michael gave Dustin an apologetic look. "I have to talk to him. See you tomorrow?" He murmured gently.

Any trace of annoyance left Dustin's face,and he leaned in to kiss Michael on the cheek. "Bye mahal ko." He whispered.

When Dustin kissed Michael's cheek,Jeremy felt a spike of jealousy. 

A few seconds later,Dustin was out the door. As soon as he was gone,Michael pulled Jeremy around the corner.

Jeremy was expecting a slap to the face or an argument,but instead,Michael hugged him.

Jeremy hugged back. "Michael,what's this about?" He asked.

"Missed you,matalik na kaibigan." Michael replied.

Jeremy tried to pull away from the hug,but Michael squeezed him tighter. Jeremy gave up.

"If I'm your best friend,what's Dustin doing suddenly hanging around?" He asked.

Michael blushed and shrugged. "Don't know.He's a friend." 

Jeremy frowned and lowered his voice. "Yeah,he's great until he shoves you into a locker and calls you a fag." He sneered.

Michael looked up."Huh?" 

Jeremy shook his head. "Nothing. Wanna go play Pokémon in your room? Rich is coming with us." 

At the mentioning of his name,Rich suddenly appeared behind Jeremy.

"I'd love to join you two oblivious nerds,but I've got to pick Jake up from football practice. It ended sooner that he expected." Rich explained. 

He nudged Jeremy's shoulder and winked. "Good luck dude. See you tomorrow." 

Jeremy blushed lightly as he walked away. 

Michael seemed to pout,and pulled Jeremy by the arm back to his room.

Jeremy chuckled. He had Michael back. If only for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tagalog translations:  
> mahal ko-my love  
> matalik na kaibagan-my best friend


	5. Late Night Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rich and Jake device to go see Jeremy while he’s visiting Michael at the hospital. Jeremy and Michael have a bit of a heart to heart, and Jeremy and Rich grow a little bit closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Translations will always be put in end notes of the chapter!*

When the boys went back to Michael's room,the doctor was waiting in there.

Michael sighed and laid down on the bed,pulling up his gown sleeve. 

The doctor paused when he saw Jeremy. He urged him to come closer. 

"Hello! You must be Jeremy. Michael talks a lot about you." He said. Michael blushed and smiled shyly.

Jeremy chuckled. "I'm not surprised. I'm Jeremy,nice to meet you." He said,sticking out his hand. 

The doctor stuck out his hand in return,and they shook. "My name's Eric. I'm Michael's doctor." 

Jeremy went to go sit down,but Michael grabbed his wrist and stared up at him.

"Manatili?" He murmured gently.

Jeremy felt the heat rise to his cheeks as he gently grabbed Michael's hand and squeezed it. 

Michael sighed and closed his eyes,trying to relax.

The doctor lifted up his sleeve once more,and attached some tubes to his arms. The tubes were attached to a small bag. 

Jeremy felt himself pale. They were going to draw Michael's blood. 

His grip on Michael's hand tightened,and the other boy looked at him and gave him a weak smile.

Michael winced when the needle entered his arm,and Jeremy ran his thumb over his knuckles. 

The other boy's eyes shot open,and he glanced over at Jeremy. "Masakit.." He whispered.

"Shh,okay lang." Jeremy replied,putting his other hand on Michael's shoulder. 

Michael leaned into his touch and a few seconds later,the doctor was done.

He gathered up all of his supplies,thanked Michael,nodded towards Jeremy,and exited the room. 

He shut the door as he left,and Michael flopped his head back onto the pillow.

"I take it you don't like having your blood drawn?" Jeremy asked.

Michael shook his head. "Hindi." 

Jeremy hummed thoughtfully and took his translation book off the desk.

"Sa tingin ko ito ay isang Tagalog night huh?" He asked. 

Michael nodded. "Hulaan ko." 

Jeremy smiled. "Okay lang ako dyan." 

Michael smiled and turned around to rustle under his pillow. He produced his game boy,and handed it to Jeremy.

The other boy turned it on and started playing Pokémon. Michael was still stuck on the same gym,and Jeremy beat it with ease. 

When he showed Michael the screen,the other boy hugged him tightly. "Salamat Jeremy!" He cheered.

Jeremy blushed. "Ito ay wala." 

He hugged Michael tighter,and felt him wince. He pulled away,and Michael gestures to his arm. 

"Sugat."He said. 

Jeremy frowned. "Sorry,dapat mag-relaks ka." 

Michael laid his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes. He must've been exhausted,because a few minutes later,he started snoring.

Jeremy smiled and reached out to touch his cheek. His thumb brushed over Michael's cheekbones,and his eyes slowly fluttered open. 

Jeremy yelped quietly and moved to pull his hand away,but Michael grabbed it and held it to his cheek.

Jeremy's breath hitched. Michael noticed and pulled up his other arm-the one that had had blood drawn from it-and used it to cup the side of Jeremy's face. 

"Midyo." Michael whispered.

Jeremy wracked his brain to figure out what that meant. He couldn't figure it out.

He thumbed through the translation book,and found the definition of the word. Pretty. 

Jeremy's face felt hot,and he was sure Michael could feel it. He didn't pull his hand away.

"Hindi ikaw." He smiled shyly. 

Michael giggled. 

He subconsciously felt himself lean closer to Jeremy. Dustin had long since left his mind.

That's when the door swung open. Both boys pulled their hands away,secretly missing the warmth of the other's skin. 

One of Michael's mothers,Sabrina,walked in. She stood in the doorway. "Jeremy,there's two boys here to see you. I'll let them in." She stepped away,and Rich and Jake were behind her.

Rich brightened as soon as he saw Jeremy. He walked over and pulled him into a headlock,before ruffling his hair. "Hey tall ass." 

Jeremy snickered. "Hey Rich,hey Jake." He greeted. Jake smiled. "Sup."

Rich leaned over and laced his fingers with Jeremy's. "I should take you home. It's getting late." 

Michael's eyes narrowed and he pushed his glasses up further on his face. 

He grabbed Jeremy's other hand. "Pupanta ka ba bukas?" He asked. 

Jeremy noticed Michael was running his thumb over the back of his knuckle,much like he had earlier. He attempted to hide his smile.

"Syempre ako si Michael." He replied. 

Michael beamed. "Mabuti." He let his hand go.

The three walked to the door, but before they left,Jeremy paused in the doorway. "Goodnight Michael." 

Michael smiled. "Goodnight Jeremy." 

Jeremy waved goodbye,and they started walking up the corridor. 

Jeremy stopped the other two boys before they got to the elevator. "Umm,could I go say goodbye to my grandma first?" He asked.

"Of course." Rich and Jake both responded at the same time. Jeremy gave them a grateful smile and he went to knock on her door.

"Come in!" Her grandmother called from the other side of the door. 

Jeremy opened up the door and urged Rich and Jake inside with him. 

"Hey grandma,I just came to say goodnight." He said.

She smiled. "Hello Jeremy. Hello Rich." Her eyes wandered over to Jake.

"You must be Jake. Your grandfather talks a lot about you." Grandma Beth told him.

Jake's eyebrows shot up. "Shoot! I should go see him. I'll pull the car up to the front for y'all after. Rich,can you give me the keys?" He asked.

Rich pulled the keys out of his pocket,and grabbed Jake's hand,before placing the keys inside it.

Jake gripped the keys,but wouldn't let go of Rich's hand. "Thanks man." 

They stared into each other's eyes,and Jeremy cleared his throat. 

Jake snapped out of his trance,and turned to leave the room. "I'll see you guys in a few." 

As soon as the door was shut,Grandma Beth laughed and shook her head. "You boys are so confusing sometimes." 

Jeremy cocked his head. "What do you mean?" 

She laughed again. "You should all just date each other. All four of you." 

Jeremy's face turned red. "Grandma!" He exclaimed,embarrassed.

Rich snickered and elbowed his side. "She's not wrong,Jer." 

Jeremy rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Whatever." 

The two boys spent the next ten minutes watching a rerun of the Golden Girls with Grandma Beth,until both their phones pinged. It was Jake.

"I'm in the front of the hospital." The text on both their phones read. 

Jeremy put his phone back in his pocket. "We're gonna get going Grandma,but I'll be back tomorrow." 

She smiled and nodded. "Alright,I'll see you tomorrow sweetheart. Have a goodnight you two." She said.

"You too Grandma." Jeremy replied. He and Rich exited the room,and began to walk further up the corridor. 

Jeremy looked down the hall one last time before getting in the elevator,staring longingly at Michael's door.

The elevator was fairly large,but Jeremy and Rich still stood rather close to one another. 

All of a sudden,Rich started laughing. Jeremy turned to him. "What's so funny?" 

Rich wiped his eyes,which had started tearing up. "I can't believe your fucking grandma ships us all." 

Jeremy snorted. "It's so weird when you say it like that." 

Rich suddenly paused and stared at Jeremy with a big smile on his face. "Dude,no homo,but your laugh is fucking adorable."

Jeremy blushed. "You're saying no homo,but you held my hand twice earlier,and let Jake hold yours. You have like,a hand kink." 

Rich snorted louder,and doubled over in laughter. "You're probably not wrong." 

The elevator dinged and opened,and they walked out. They made their way outside,where Jake was waiting in the car. 

Rich climbed into the front seat,and Jeremy sat in the back.

Jake turned on the radio,which was still playing blink-182. 

Rich grinned. "Here come the bops." 

Jake laughed and started driving. When they pulled up to Jeremy's house about ten minutes later,he thanked them and climbed out of the car.

Before he could head inside the house,Rich rolled down the window. "Bye tall ass! See you at school!" He called.

Jeremy turned around with a smug grin. "Bye short ass." He replied.

Rich playfully flipped him off as they drove away. Jeremy walked up the porch steps with a smile on his face.

The door was locked,but thankfully,Jeremy had his key. He unlocked the door and walked inside,before closing it and locking it again. 

His dad was asleep on the couch,and Jeremy walked up to his room. He kicked his shoes off and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t shirt. 

He flopped onto his bed,turned the light off,and finally,fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Thanks for reading! I just wanted to add an author's note here. So in this story,Michael will sometimes speak Tagalog,and sometimes speak English. 
> 
> Tagalog is his first language,and he originally knew a bit of English,because one of his mothers is fluent in it. There is a mix of both languages however,called Taglish.
> 
> This is a mix of Tagalog,the main language used in the Philippines,and English,the main language used in the United States and many other places. Taglish is Tagalog infused with English, and is commonly used in the Philippines.
> 
> Reminder:I use google translate for this story,and I used Wikipedia for the information on Taglish. So,I apologize if the translations or information is inaccurate. I try my best to gather accurate information,but that doesn't necessarily mean it always will be. 
> 
> Translations: (in order)  
> •Manatili?-stay?  
> •Masakit..-it hurts..  
> •Shh,okay lang-Shh it's okay   
> •Hindi-No  
> •Sa tingin ko ito ay isang Tagalog night huh?-I guess it's a Tagalog kinda night huh?   
> •Hulaan ko-I guess so  
> •Okay lang ako dyan-I'm okay with that   
> •Salamat Jeremy!-Thank you Jeremy!   
> •Ito ay wala-It was nothing  
> •Sugat-Sore  
> •Sorry,dapat mag-relaks ka-sorry,you should relax   
> •Midyo-Pretty  
> •Hindi ikaw-No you  
> •Pupanta ka ba bukas-Are you coming tomorrow?  
> •Syempre ako si Michael-Of course I am Michael  
> •Mabuti-Good


	6. Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy and Michael venture outside together for the first time since Michael’s hospital visit. A certain bully of Jeremy’s and boyfriend of Michael’s returns, and he’s got a bone to pick with Jeremy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: f word slur is used + choking (non-sexual)

The next day when Jeremy was visiting Michael at the hospital, something came to his mind.

The whole time he had been visiting Michael,he hadn't once seen him go outside.

So when he got there,he wheeled Michael down the hall and into the elevator.

The elevator started going down,and stopped in the lobby. Jeremy grabbed a face mask for Michael just in case,and wheeled him to the outside area.

Michael had expressed that he was nervous,so Jeremy made sure to ask the doctor and take all necessary precautions.

That was how he and Michael had ended up on the top of an icy hill,Jeremy clutching his wheelchair handles.

Michael reached up and took Jeremy's hand. "Nervous." He mumbled.

Jeremy hummed. "We don't have to do this." 

Michael shook his head. "I want to." 

Jeremy smiled. "You ready then?" 

Michael took a deep breath and nodded. Jeremy grinned and began running down the hill. 

Michael's wheelchair soared down the icy path,with Jeremy running behind him,still holding onto the handlebars. 

As Jeremy was running,his untied shoe lace got tangled in the spokes of the wheels,and he tripped and fell. 

Despite the speed that Michael was going,he jerked his hand onto the wheels,and stopped the wheelchair. 

They were at the end of the path,and Michael turned around. "Jeremy?" 

Jeremy lifted his head up from the ground,and Michael gasped. 

Jeremy winced. "Is it that bad?" 

Michael reached down and swiped his fingers above Jeremy's lips. The other boy was confused,until he brought his fingers back up. "Blood." 

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Oh no."

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. "Fuck.."

A few seconds later, Michael was gathering Jeremy up in his arms,and using one of them to wheel himself up the hill.

"Michael,where are we going?" Jeremy asked.

Michael fought the blush on his cheeks. "Hospital." He replied. 

He eventually made it to the top of the hill ten minutes later,much to the awe of Jeremy.

When he looked down,he noticed that there were grips on Michael's wheels. No,more like breaks. So why hadn't he used them? 

Jeremy shook the thoughts away when they arrived at the hospital doors. 

Michael said nothing to the woman at the front desk,and wheeled right past her. He rolled down the hall,and straight into his room.

He pushed Jeremy onto the bed,and pulled the blankets up to his chin. 

Jeremy pushed them off. "Michael,this is your bed." 

Michael just stared at him. After a few moments,he spoke. "Rest." He took the blankets again and tucked Jeremy in to the best of his ability.

Jeremy nestled further into the bed,pain spreading through his body. 

He attempted to shut his eyes,but Michael's hand on his cheek stopped him.

His eyes shot open. Michael quickly retracted his hand. 

"No sleeping." He tapped the side of his head with his finger. "You might have a concussion." He said with a blush.

Jeremy sighed. "You're right." 

Michael raised a hand up to wipe the dried blood that had collected under Jeremy's nose.

"Glad you're okay." He whispered.

Jeremy's heart thumped. "I'm more glad that you're okay." He whispered back.

Michael hugged him tightly. "Nervous." 

Jeremy hugged him back weakly. "I'll be okay." 

Michael shook his head,tearing up. "Not that. Him." 

Jeremy noticed he was shaking and crying. "Michael?" 

The other boy looked up,tears falling freely down his face. "Don't want him to hurt you." 

Jeremy cupped his cheeks. "Who?"

Michael was only able to utter out one word before the door opened. "Doctor." He whispered.

As if on cue,the doctor had entered the room. His eyes widened as they landed on Jeremy.

"What did you boys do?" He asked,getting closer to the bed. 

Michael opened his mouth to speak,but Jeremy interrupted him. "I tripped when I was pushing him." 

The doctor nodded and turned to Michael. "Are you hurt?" 

Michael shook his head. The doctor turned back to Jeremy and noticed the dried blood under his nose and on his chin. 

He opened up the closet door and pulled out some peroxide and some cotton balls.

He slowly began cleaning Jeremy's wounds,careful not to hurt him. 

Once he was done,he applied some ointment to them. Jeremy groaned in pain. "Do I have a concussion?" He asked.

The doctor shook his head. "No,just a few scrapes and a bruise on your head. Your braces also cut your lip and the inside of your mouth." 

Jeremy groaned again and laid his head back on the pillow. "Great." 

The doctor pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Hello Mr.Heere. I was wondering if it was alright to give Jeremy some medicine?" He asked. He described Jeremy's injuries to a t,and Mr.Heere accepted.

The doctor then grabbed a syringe,and Jeremy jumped. Michael squeezed his hand. "Eyes shut." He told him. 

Jeremy squeezed his eyes shut,as the doctor agonizingly entered the needle into his arm. 

After he was done,he put a bandage on Jeremy's arm.

A knock sounded at the door,and Jeremy lifted his head up. The doctor smiled. "That must be him." 

The doctor patted Jeremy's shoulder. "I'll be back to check on you two later. Get some rest Jeremy." He said.

He left the room,and Dustin took his place. He was holding a bouquet of red roses,that he had presumably gotten from the downstairs gift shop. 

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Jeremy laying in Michael's bed.

He approached Michael slowly and hid the flowers behind his back. 

Dustin grinned and put his hands on Michael's shoulders,spinning him around.

Michael's eyes lit up when he saw him,and Jeremy had to pretend it didn't crush him. 

Dustin smiled. "Hi baby. How're you feeling?" 

Michael melted into his arms. "I'm good. Missed you." 

Dustin hugged him tighter. "I missed you more." 

After they parted,Dustin produced the roses from behind his back. "I bought these for you." 

Michael clutched them in his hands,and suddenly cried in pain.

Dustin's eyes widened. "Are you okay?" 

The roses fell onto the floor,and Michael had his finger in his mouth. 

Dustin gasped. "I'm sorry,I forgot about the thorns." 

Michael gave him a weak smile. "It's okay."

Dustin gently kissed his knuckles. "You sure?" 

Michael nodded.

Jeremy was shocked at his display. Dustin had always beat up on him because he thought he was gay,and here he was,with a boyfriend. 

A boyfriend who just so happened to be Jeremy's best friend. That was just the icing on the cake. "What a hypocrite." Jeremy thought.

Suddenly,a wave on nausea hit Jeremy. He barely had enough time to get up from the bed and stagger towards the bathroom. In fact,he didn't. 

He fell onto the floor,and Michael gasped. Dustin looked like he was trying to hold in a laugh. 

Jeremy gritted his teeth. A hot flash of pain surged through him,and he threw up right on the pearly white floor tiles of the hospital room.

Michael wheeled over to him to help him,and Jeremy shoved him away. He didn't want Michael to see him. 

He scrambled to the bathroom,and threw the toilet seat up. He hunched over the toilet,his knees hitting the floor tiles.

Jeremy vomiting was the only sound echoing throughout the room. 

Meanwhile,Michael noticed that Dustin was trying to hold back laughter. 

He glared at him and hit his shoulder. "Not funny. He's hurt." 

Dustin shrugged. "C'mon,you can't tell me that-"

He got cut off as the doctor pushed the door open. "I got a call from the bathroom,what happened?" He asked.

Michael guessed Jeremy had pressed the emergency button. He wordlessly pointed to the bathroom door.

The doctor cursed under his breath. He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of cleaning solution. 

While he was preoccupied with that,Dustin made his way into the bathroom,where Jeremy was hunched over the toilet,crying in pain.

He snickered. "You're so pathetic,Heere." 

Jeremy grumbled. "Go away." His voice was hoarse.

Dustin smirked. "I bet this sucks for you,huh? Having to see the person you hate with the guy you like?" 

Jeremy just shook his head. "Hypocrite." 

Dustin grabbed him by his hair. "What'd you call me?" He yanked his head up. 

Jeremy whipped his head around to glare at Dustin. "You're a fucking hypocrite." He hissed,spitting in Dustin's face. 

Dustin glared at him,and wiped the spit off his face. "How so?" He asked. 

Jeremy opened his mouth to speak,but was cut off by a loud cough. He looked down,only to see he had coughed up blood. His throat felt tight.

"Y-You called me a faggot,and then you go out and date my best friend,who's a guy. You probably don't even l-like him." Jeremy replied,shaking. 

Dustin chuckled. "I called you a faggot because you are one. And for your information,I do like Michael. One day,he's gonna be my husband." 

Jeremy ignored that comment. "Wouldn't that ruin your reputation? I bet you're scared to be seen in public with him." He sneered.

Dustin looked out the door,only to see the doctor talking to Michael. He smirked and shut it,turning the lock. 

Jeremy backed up against the wall on his knees,and Dustin wrapped his hand around his throat. 

"You're gonna listen to me,okay?" He growled. Jeremy could do nothing but nod. He felt like he was suffocating. 

Dustin reached his arm up to pin Jeremy's down. He got close to his ear.

"Michael is mine. I'm not gonna let you get in the way of us." He exclaimed.

Once he pulled back,Jeremy spit in his face again. "He's not a fucking object,Dustin. I won't let you treat him like one." 

A knock sounded on the door."S-Dustin,open the door!" The doctor shouted.

Dustin just smiled and did so. The doctor pushed it open,and saw Jeremy cowering in the corner,and a smirk plastered on Dustin's face.

Michael roughly shoved him out of the way to see Jeremy,and gasped when he did.

He cupped his cheeks in his hands. "Who?" He asked.

Jeremy was about to tell him it was Dustin,but then he remembered he would see him at school eventually. 

He just shook his head. Michael seemed to piece everything together,though. He turned to Dustin. "We're done. Get out." 

Dustin's face fell. He reached for Michael's arm. "Babe.." 

Michael snatched his arm away. "Go." He pointed to the door.

Dustin frowned and began to leave the room.

Michael followed after him. "Wait!" Dustin turned around,his expression hopeful. "Yes?" 

Michael grinned smugly and tossed the roses into his arms. "You forgot these." 

He slammed the door shut. 

He then rushed back into the bathroom,where the doctor was cleaning up Jeremy.

"What the hell took you so long?" Jeremy asked the doctor.

He sighed. "Sorry,I was talking to Michael about what had happened." 

Jeremy just groaned. "Why'd I throw up anyways?" 

The doctor led him back over to the bed and laid him down. 

"According to your vitals,you're suffering from a lack of hydration,and also a fever. Presumably because you were in frigid temperatures with no protection." He replied.

Jeremy groaned. "What do I do then?" 

"I'll bring you some water to drink and inform your father that you're staying overnight. Get some rest,okay?" The doctor left the room to call Mr.Heere.

As soon as he was gone,Michael crawled next to Jeremy in the bed.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

Jeremy turned and made eye contact with him. "For?" 

Michael looked down. "You got hurt. Dustin's mean." 

Jeremy nodded. "Told you." 

Michael frowned,and in turn,Jeremy did the same. 

"Sorry Michael." 

Michael shrugged. "Okay." 

Jeremy hugged him. "No." 

Michael hugged him back tighter. "ikaw ang aking paboritong manlalaro dalawa." He murmured.

Jeremy chuckled. "Are you tired?" 

Michael nodded. "Paano mo nalaman?" He asked.

Jeremy hugged him closer. "You slip into speaking Tagalog when you're tired or nervous,usually." He whispered.

"Ako ba?" Michael asked,tilting his head.

Jeremy giggled. "You sure do. It's cute." His eyes widened. He hadn't meant to say that.

Michael blushed. "Sa tingin mo ito ay maganda?" He asked.

Jeremy blushed and cupped his cheeks in his hands. "Yeah,I do." 

Michael pulled his hands off his face and held them. "Pahinga." He whispered.

Jeremy sneezed suddenly. "I'm cold." 

Michael thought for a moment,before he pulled off his hoodie and handed it to Jeremy.

"Ito ay panatilihin kang mainit-init. matulog ka na." He hummed.

Jeremy was tired,so it took him a moment to process what Michael was saying. Nonetheless,he pulled on his hoodie.

He sighed contentedly and nuzzled himself into Michael's side. "You're warm." He mumbled. 

Michael decided to test the waters by kissing the top of his head. "Maganda ka." He whispered. 

Jeremy smiled lazily. "Goodnight Michael." 

Michael held him closer. "Goodnight Jeremy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> •ikaw ang aking paboritong manlalaro dalawa-you are my favorite player two   
> •Paano mo nalaman?-How did you know?   
> •Ako ba?-I do?/Me?   
> •Sa tingin mo ito ay maganda?-You think it's cute?/You think it's good?   
> •Pahinga-Rest  
> •Ito ay panatilihin kang mainit-init.matulog ka na.-It will keep you warm. Go to sleep./It will keep you warm,now rest  
> •Maganda ka-You're beautiful


	7. Christine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s another week of school at Middleborough High. Jeremy runs into Christine,and some things happen that would’ve made freshman year Jeremy bust a nut.  
> (that chapter summary sucks I know but I thought it was funny ok now enjoy and also go read this story on Wattpad)

When Jeremy walked into school on Monday,he was greeted with the sight of an angry Christine. She was standing by the cement pillars in front of the school doors,her arms crossed,with a pouty lip.

Jeremy approached her hesitantly. "Hey Christine!" He smiled nervously. 

She glared at him. "Where have you been?" 

Jeremy's brain immediately wanted to respond with,"Uhh France?" but he pushed the thought away. 

"What do you mean?" He asked. He knew exactly what she was talking about. 

She threw her arms into the air. "Why haven't you been at play rehearsal? You're one of the main leads,Jeremy!" She exclaimed. 

He sighed. "I'm so sorry,Chris. My grandma's been in the hospital,along with my best friend. I try to go visit them both everyday." He explained.

Christine's gaze softened. "I'm sorry Jeremy,I didn't know." 

Jeremy shrugged. "Whatever." 

Christine shook her head. "No,I'm gonna make it up to you. Since rehearsal got cancelled today,how about you and me go get pinkberry? My treat." She said.

Jeremy blushed. "Sure,I'd love that!" 

Christine smiled at him,and Jeremy felt his heart jump in his chest. 

Michael was momentarily forgotten. 

Christine grabbed Jeremy by the arm,and pulled him inside the school with her. "Come on,we've got theatre first!"

Jeremy smiled. For the first time in a long time,he felt free. 

Once they arrived at theatre,Mr.Reyes called Jeremy to his desk. "We need to talk." He said.

Jeremy walked over to his desk. "I'm so sorry,I didn't mean to miss rehearsal,it's just my grandma-" Mr.Reyes cut him off with a chuckle.

"I'm not mad at you,Jeremy. Jake has been your understudy,and he's doing exceptionally well. I understand the family situation. I hope all goes well." The older man said.

Jeremy's shoulders went slack. "Thank you,I hope so too." He replied.

Mr.Reyes winked. "I expect to see you at rehearsal on Friday." 

Jeremy nodded. "I'll be there." 

He went to his seat,and sat down next to Christine. She was putting on some mascara. "How does this look?" She asked,turning to Jeremy.

Jeremy's face turned red. Christine looked beautiful. She had obviously curled her hair,and was wearing red lipstick. 

"You look incredible." Jeremy whispered. His eyes widened as he realized what he said.

Christine blushed and lightly hit his arm. "You're just saying that." 

Jeremy decided to make a bold move. Christine has her hand resting on the side of her seat,and Jeremy grabbed it.

She tensed up for a moment,but soon relaxed. She didn't pull her hand away. 

Mr.Reyes finished heating up his hot pocket,and walked to the front of the class. "Alright,today we'll be working on dialogue! Everyone get with your partners." 

Christine smiled,still holding Jeremy's hand. "The two of us are partners!" She exclaimed.

Jeremy squeezed her hand tighter,and used his free hand to get out his paper,which had his lines on it. 

"Let's get started."  
————————————  
Meanwhile,at the hospital,Michael was just waking up. He had been given an extra dose of medicine last night,and it had knocked him right out. 

Since it was Monday,Michael knew Jeremy would be arriving at the hospital around 4:30. His dad got out of work at 4,and it took him around 15 minutes to drive home,and back to the hospital.

Michael kept telling himself it wasn't weird that he knew Jeremy's schedule. It's normal to know the schedule of the boy you're hopelessly pining over,right? 

He shook the thoughts from his head,and tried to focus on the food that was placed in front of him. 

It was 3:45,and Michael knew that Jeremy was already out of school. He also knew that Rich and Jake were coming today too,so Jake could see his grandpa.

Michael couldn't help but get jealous whenever Rich was around Jeremy. He didn't think they were dating,just,strangely close. 

Michael sighed. He shouldn't be jealous. He and Jeremy aren't even dating,so why should he be jealous of Rich,who's just a friend? 

Michael scooped up some of the mashed potatoes that were on his plate,and put them in his mouth. After a few moments of chewing,he promptly spit them out. They were incredibly bland,and tasted like they had come from a can.

The Filipino boy sighed as he remembered how good the food was back in the Philippines.

His moms would always make his home cooked meals,and they were his favorite thing to eat. Especially adobo. 

Michael found himself nodding off into a day dream. Mid-afternoon dream? Early dinner dream? He didn't know what to call it. 

Regardless of the name,the dream was pleasant. He and Jeremy were happily married,and had two pet dogs. 

In the dream,Michael was cooking up a traditional Filipino dish for Jeremy,who was about to be home from work. Michael's dream Jeremy worked as a game developer. He though it suited him. 

Once Jeremy came through the door,the dogs attacked him with kisses,their tails wagging in excitement.

Jeremy chuckled and pushed past them,looking around for his husband. "Michael?" He called.

A grin spread across Michael's lips. "I'm in here,honey!" He exclaimed. 

Jeremy smiled,and all but ran into the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Michael's waist,and spun him around. 

He peppered kisses all over his face,and pressed one final one to his lips. "I missed you so much,mahal ko." He murmured.

Michael's dream Jeremy also referred to him using Filipino phrases of endearment. Or maybe that was real Jeremy too? 

Michael went back to dreaming. "I missed you more. Dinner's almost ready." He replied.

Jeremy grinned. "It smells delicious." He kisses Michael on the cheek. "I can't wait." 

Michael leaned into him,and sighed softly.

Jeremy hugged him close. "What's wrong?" 

Michael smiled. "Nothing,I just love you." 

Jeremy cooed. "Aw,I love you too." 

A timer sounded,and Michael turned around. "Dinner's ready!" He announced. 

Jeremy smiled and grabbed a plate. He put some food on it,and sat down at the table. Michael joined him shortly after. 

They ate dinner,and watched a movie on Netflix. After that,both were exhausted.

They dragged themselves to their room,and flopped down onto the bed. Michael nestled under the covers and pulled Jeremy close. "Goodnight Jer. I love you." 

Jeremy just hugged him tighter. "I love you too." 

They both soon drifted off to sleep. A harsh,loud knock on the door shook Michael from his peaceful thoughts. 

He groaned. "Come in. I guess." He added at the end.

The door swung open,revealing Rich and Jake. Michael's heartbeat quickened. "Where's Jeremy?" He asked.

Rich winced,and looked at Jake with a knowing glance. Jake however,didn't seem to catch this.

"Oh Jeremy?" He said. "Yeah,he's on a date with Christine. They went to Pinkberry." 

Michael's breath hitched. "What?" 

Rich punched Jake in the arm. "Shut up." He hissed under his breath. 

He turned to Michael. "What he meant to say was-" 

He paused,catching a glimpse of the heartache in Michael's eyes. 

Michael frowned. "Who's Christine?" He asked,voice quivering.

Rich just sighed and sat down on Michael's bed. "Come on,let's go visit Beth. She can cheer anyone up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry about the super late update. I’m kinda writing this story as I go,but I do have tons of ideas for it! Get ready for more Michael angst y’all,because the plot is finally ramping up! 
> 
> >:)


	8. VIII: (The Defintion Of Love,As Told By The Grandma Of The Boy You’re In Love With)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael’s in his feelings,so he goes to visit Beth. She gives him some important advice,and Michael comes to a realization.

Michael got out of bed and into his wheelchair,before wheeling himself in front of the door.

Rich sighed. "Michael,please move." He shook his head. 

Rich groaned and nudged Jake. "Help me out here." 

Jake put his hand on Michael's shoulder. "Are you okay dude?" 

Michael shook his head. Jake frowned. "D'you wanna talk?" He asked.

Michael nodded. Jake grabbed his wheelchair handles,and wheeled him out the door. "Let's go sit in the sunroom." 

Once they arrived,Michael wheeled himself over to the window. Sunlight was steadily streaming in,the sun about to set.

There were lush green plants surrounding the room,and Jake was surprised that they hadn't died yet,considering that it was winter. 

He sat down at one of the tables next to Michael,and Rich joined them. 

Jake propped his elbows up on the table,and placed his chin between his hands. "I'm assuming you want to know who Christine is?" 

Michael nodded his head. Jake hummed. "Alright."

Rich meanwhile,was playing a game on his phone.

"Christine is a girl that Jeremy's has a crush on for a few years now. She loves musical theatre,and she and Jeremy are doing the play together. She asked him to go get frozen yogurt with her." Jake explained.

The hurt expression on Michael's face from before returned. "He never told me about her." 

Jake frowned. "I'm really sorry Michael." 

Rich suddenly looked up from his phone. "You really like him,huh?" 

Michael nodded tearfully. "I thought he did too." 

Rich swallowed the lump in his throat,and let his hand subconsciously find Jake's. He squeezed it tightly. 

All of a sudden,the door opened and Jake's grandpa walked in,followed by Beth.

His grandpa smiled. "I though I'd find you boys here." Beth followed behind him,a solemn smile on her face. 

Michael noticed. "Beth,are you okay?" He asked.

She looked up at him,grateful for the attention. "I'm alright sweetie. It's good to see you're getting more fluent in English. I'm just a little upset,is all." 

Michael tilted his head. "Why?" 

Beth sighed. "I thought Mr.Heere and Jeremy would come visit me today. They haven't showed up yet." 

Michael frowned. Jake spoke up. "Jeremy's out on a date." He explained.

Beth's eyes seem to light up,but dulled when she looked over at Michael. "Oh,sweetie-" She whispered. 

The tears flowed freely down Michael's face. 

Beth cooed and walked over to him. She hugged him tightly. Jake nudged Rich and his grandpa,and they exited the room to give the other two some time alone. 

Once they were gone,Beth sighed. "I know how you feel,in a way." She said.

Michael looked up at her. "How?" He asked.

She smiled a bit. "You feel trapped. You're so far away from home,and you feel like you'll never see the only person you truly love." 

Michael wiped away some tears. "That's not true. I love my moms and other people too." 

Beth chuckled,tearing up slightly. "Oh honey,I don't mean that kind of love." 

Michael thought about it for a moment. Did he really love Jeremy? He knew he had a huge crush on him,but Michael had never been in love before. 

"Beth?" He asked quietly. 

"Yes?" She replied.

Micheal blushed and looked down at the ground. "What's it like to be in love?" 

A large smile spread across Beth's face. "Oh Michael,it's wonderful. Every time you're with that person,it feels like time slows down. They're the only person you want to be with,and you want to spend the rest of your life with them." 

Michael stuck one hand in the pocket of his sweatpants,and ran the other through his hair. 

"Beth?" He asked. 

She looked at him,waiting for him to continue. 

"I'm in love with Jeremy." The words had so much more weight to them when he actually said them. 

Beth smiled. "So you finally realized it huh?"

Michael blushed and nodded. Beth put her hand on his shoulder. 

"Are you allowed to leave the hospital?" She asked.

Michael shrugged. "Under certain circumstances." He replied.

Beth grinned. "I've got an idea. You should get Rich to bring you to the mall where Jeremy. Talk to him." 

Michael shrugged again. "Maybe." Beth hit him lightly on the arm. "You never know unless you try." 

She began to wheel Michael out of the room,and brought him to the front entrance of the hospital. Jake was already there,playing chess with his grandpa.

Beth walked over and tapped Rich on the arm. He turned around,and she whispered something into his ear. He nodded and began walking over to Michael.

He spun the keys to Jake's car around his finger. "You sure you don't need anything besides a face mask?" Rich asked.

Michael nodded,putting the face mask on. "I'm gonna need you to help me with my wheelchair." He said,his words muffled. 

Rich nodded and lead him out to the car. Michael sat up in the passenger's seat,and Rich climbed into the driver's side. 

He started driving to the Menlo Park Mall,which was about ten minutes away from the hospital.

Once they arrived,Rich parked the car and helped Michael get into his wheelchair. 

As soon as they walked in,Christine and Jeremy were walking out of Pinkberry,holding hands. 

Jeremy stopped suddenly,and dropped Christine's hand. "Michael?" He exclaimed.

All of a sudden,Michael came up with a genius plan. He just had to wait for the right moment. 

Jeremy walked briskly up to Michael,and Christine stood there,confused. 

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked,an edge to his voice. 

Michael pushed down the feeling of hurt that rose up,and looked up at Jeremy. "I'm waiting for my date. Rich came to make sure he showed up." 

Jeremy paused,and Michael swore he saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes. "He? You don't mean-" 

"I'm meeting Dustin." Michael said.

Rich tried to keep his expression neutral. Though,he was a bit surprised that that was the excuse Michael had chosen to come up with. 

Rich nodded. "He should be here soon." 

Jeremy's eyes flared. "I can't believe you're giving that asshole another chance." 

Michael narrowed his eyes. "It wouldn't be the first time I've given a second chance to someone." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jeremy asked.

Christine decided to speak up. "Jer,can we go?" She asked gently. 

His demeanor shifted. "Yeah,let's get out of here. Goodbye Rich. Goodbye Michael." 

Michael winced. Those words stung. 

With that,Jeremy exited through the automatic doors of the mall,Christine holding his hand. 

And if Rich or Michael noticed,neither of them said anything about the single tear rolling down Jeremy's cheek as he left. 

It turns out Michael wasn't the only one hurt after all.


	9. Caught Up In My (Old?) Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy thinks over some things,and makes a realization. He then does something important for Michael.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a.k.a. this story updates more often on Wattpad (same username) and I suck at writing summaries.

As soon as Christine and Jeremy had exited,she had pulled him over to the sidewalk. 

"What was that about?" She asked him. 

Jeremy weighed the pros and cons of telling her the truth. He decided to be a bit truthful. After all,what was the worst thing that could happen? 

"That kid with Rich is his penpal from English. He's my best friend,and I met him in the hospital when I went to see my grandma." He explained.

Christine's eyes widened. "He's dating Dustin? Middleborough High Dustin?"

Jeremy nodded tearfully.Christine stared at him in silence. "Why are you upset with him then?" 

Jeremy just shook his head. Christine put her hand on his shoulder. He flinched. "Jeremy,do you-" 

His eyes widened. He turned to Christine. "I-" 

She smiled. "Jeremy,it's okay. Do you like him?" She asked. 

He nodded,letting the tears slide down his face. "I love him so much,Christine. I'm sorry." His voice was hoarse.

Christine cooed and pulled him into a hug. "I'm not mad at you Jeremy. I'm glad that it's Michael." 

Jeremy sniffled. "So am I."

She patted him on the back. "Do you want a ride home from my mom?" She asked.

Jeremy hummed. "Could she bring me to the hospital if it's not too much trouble? I need to talk to Rich." 

Christine nodded. "Of course she can. Let me call her." 

Christine dialed her mother's phone number,and asked her to come pick them up. About ten minutes later,she arrived. 

She smiled at them as they climbed into the car. "Did you guys have fun?" She asked. 

Christine grinned. "Yeah! We got frozen yogurt!" 

Jeremy smiled solemnly,thoughts of Michael still plaguing his mind.

He decided to speak up. "Actually,Mrs.Canigula,would you mind taking me  
home if it's not too much trouble?" Jeremy asked. 

She nodded,looking at him through the mirror. "Of course honey. It's no trouble at all." 

Christine gave him a quizzical glance,but he just ignored it. She didn't understand.

After a little while,Christine's mother pulled into his driveway. He smiled at her. "Thank you Mrs.Canigula. Bye Christine,I'll see you at school." 

Christine and her mother smiled and waved goodbye to him,before pulling out of the driveway again.

Jeremy flopped down onto his bed,and felt tears starting to burn his eyes. Since he was home alone,he let them fall.

He was in love with Michael. Michael was with Dustin still. Jeremy couldn't believe it. Were all the signs that Michael seemed to be showing a lie? 

Jeremy tried to push the thoughts out of his mind. He was exhausted. He changed out of his clothes and put on some sweatpants,and decided to take a nap. 

He plugged in his phone and powered it down,so that nobody would bother him. It was still fairly light out,so Jeremy settled underneath the blankets and fell asleep.

Meanwhile at the hospital,Michael was sulking in his room. When they had gotten back from the mall,Rich told Jake about everything that had happened.

Both boys were in the process of trying to cheer Michael up. 

Jake more so,was trying to understand why Rich and Michael had lied about Dustin. 

Jake was sitting by the bed. "Do you like Dustin?" He asked Michael.

Michael shrugged and Rich grimaced. "Dude,he's literally a dick to Jeremy. Come on." 

Michael glared at him. "So were you guys at a point." 

Rich just looked away. Jake was silent,mulling something over in his mind. 

Michael spoke up again,suddenly finding his confidence. "Oh! And another thing Rich,what's your deal? You're all over Jeremy,even though I know you have a crush on Jake. What's the point,man?" 

Rich's face flushed,along with Jake's. Jake reached for him. "Rich?" 

Rich jerked away and glared at Michael. "Go fuck yourself." 

"Come on,we all know it's true. You only like Jake because-" Michael started. 

"Shut the fuck up!" Rich hissed,slapping Michael across the face. 

Jake was stunned,and he grabbed Rich's arm to steady him. Rich suddenly seemed to realize what he had done. 

"Michael,I'm so-" He began.

Michael pulled his hand off of his face,and shakily pointed to the door. "Get out." 

"Michael-" 

"Get the fuck out of my room. I don't want to see you." Michael sneered.

Jake wordlessly got up,pulling Rich with him. "Goodbye Michael." He said. Michael just waved to him.

He shut the blinds to his room,and laid down on the bed. That was when he heard a knock on the door. 

"Go away." He grumbled,shoving the pillow over his face.

"It's the doctor,Michael. I'm coming in." The doctor pushed the door open,and flicked the light switch up. 

Michael groaned. "Is it time for my shots?" He asked.

The doctor nodded. "I'm afraid so. Roll your left sleeve up,please." 

Michael did so,as the doctor sterilized the needle. After he was done,he walked back over to Michael and lifted the needle up.

Michael squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He suddenly remembered Jeremy's hand on his shoulder when the doctor had drawn his blood. 

He tried to remember the feeling of Jeremy's hand. He couldn't. He was almost there,and that's when the doctor had finished. 

"Alright,you're all set for tonight. I'll have one of your moms bring you your dinner in a little while,  
so try to get some sleep." 

Michael nodded. "Thank you doctor." 

The doctor smiled. "Call me Eric,please. I think we've known each other long enough." 

Michael nodded again. "Thank you Eric." 

Eric smiled once more,and exited the room.

Michael lazily reached for the remote and turned on the tv. He spent about forty five minutes barely watching some game show,and that's when one of his moms came in.

"I brought you your dinner,honey." She said.

Michael smiled appreciatively. "Salamat Mama." He said to her. 

She just smiled sadly,and reached up to run her fingers through his hair. She pressed a kiss to his forehead,and adjusting his bedside dinner table.

"I'll see you later. Mahal kita." She told him.

"Mahal kita mama."


	10. Something For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a talk with his dad,Jeremy decides to do something special for Michael.

Jeremy was woken up by his dad walking into the room,and turning on the light.

He winced at the bright light that illuminated the room. "Dad,what the heck?" He exclaimed.

Mr.Heere frowned. "I heard what happened with Michael. Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked.

Jeremy rolled back over. "No,I just wanna cry and sleep."

Mr.Heere sighed and sat down on the bed. "I know what it's like,you know." 

Jeremy rolled over to look at him. "How do you know?" He asked.

Mr.Heere chuckled. "When we were teenagers,I had the biggest crush on your mom. But she was dating this jerky guy who was a jock." Jeremy nodded.

"So what'd you do?" He asked.

Mr.Heere grinned. "I went out and bought her a gift. A sunflower necklace,to be exact. Sunflowers were always her favorite." 

Jeremy cocked his head. "So,what you're saying is I should get Michael something important to him?" He asked.

Mr.Heere hummed. "Only if you want to. Think about the one thing that's the most important to Michael." 

Jeremy frowned. "But he likes Dustin." 

Mr.Heere nodded. "But you like him. You'll never know unless you try,son." 

Jeremy mulled it over. "Thanks dad. I'll look online for something." 

Mr.Heere patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the room,shutting the door behind him.

Jeremy turned on his phone,only to see two missed calls from Jake,and a bunch of texts from Rich.

He opened them,and one read:"Dude,you've gotta go see Michael. He's acting like a dick. And call me. I need to tell you something." 

The other one was sent about an hour later,and it said:"I know you're pissed at him dude,but he really needs you there. Please go see him,Jeremy." 

There were a couple spaces put after Rich's text,and at the end,it read:"You mean the world to him." 

Jeremy sighed and closed the messages app. He decided to FaceTime Rich. 

After a couple rings,he picked up. "What?" He snapped.

Jeremy rolled his eyes,and Rich stayed silent. 

"What's your problem?" He asked. 

Rich gritted his teeth. "My problem is your boy toy. He fucked up any chance that I had with Jake." 

Jeremy's voice turned cold. "Don't call him that." 

Rich laughed a bit. "Oh,right I forgot. You're too much of a pussy to admit your feelings to him. Both of you are just beating around the bush." 

Jeremy broke down,his voice shaky. "I can't fucking admit my feelings for him,Rich. He's dating fucking Dustin." 

Rich's mouth suddenly dropped open,and any traces of anger on his face were gone. 

Jeremy glared. "What is it?" He asked.

Rich sighed. "That's what I forgot to tell you. The whole Dustin thing." 

Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "What about Dustin?" 

Rich sucked in a breath. "We lied to you. Michael never got back with Dustin." 

Jeremy's eyes widened. "What?" 

Rich adjusted his headband,refusing to meet Jeremy's eyes. "He wanted you to be jealous."

"Why?" Jeremy asked. He couldn't seem to fit the pieces together. "Doesn't he like Dustin?" 

Rich chuckled. "God,could you be any more dense? Michael is in love with you,dumbass." 

Jeremy blushed. "You think so?" 

Rich rolled his eyes. "I know so,Jeremy." 

Jeremy thought for a moment. "I have to go. Bye Rich." He hung up without waiting for a response.

He went onto Amazon,and typed in "translation devices". After scrolling through pages of results,one in particular caught his eye.

It was 200 dollars,but Jeremy figured that it was a small price to pay for Michael. He would do anything for Michael.

He clicked purchase. He chose the fastest delivery option,and the purchase receipt said that the translation device would be at his house tomorrow.

Jeremy sighed and laid his head back down on the pillow. He hoped Michael would like it. 

He suddenly thought back to Rich's words. Michael liked him back? That would explain a lot of things. 

Jeremy couldn't help but smile when he thought of Michael. He couldn't wait to see him tomorrow. 

His hand wandered over to the translation textbook sitting on his nightstand. He wouldn't need it anymore. 

It pained him a bit. The book was the first thing Michael had ever really given to him. He didn't want to just let it go.

However,he knew that the device would be important to Michael. And that was all that Jeremy wanted.

He slowly drifted off to sleep,dreams of Michael floating through his head.  
-  
Meanwhile,Michael couldn't fall asleep. He kept thinking about Jeremy,and about how upset the other boy probably was with him.

He regretted making up the lie about Dustin. While he was wallowing in his self pity,the doctor came in.

"Hello Michael." 

He smiled halfheartedly. "Hi Dr.Eric." 

The doctor chuckled at that. "My last name is Quip." 

Michael blinked. The doctor noticed. "It's a strange last name,I know." 

Michael pushed his glasses up on his face. "What's your middle name?" 

Eric grinned. "It's Steven or S,for short." 

Michael thought for a moment,putting it together. "So your full name is Eric S.Quip?" He asked.

Eric nodded. "It sure is." 

The gears were turning in Michael's head. "So why is Dustin's last name Kropp? Isn't he your son?" He asked.

Eric pulled on a pair of rubber gloves,and grabbed a needle with Michael's medicine in it. "He wanted to keep his mother's last name. She passed a couple years ago." 

"Oh." Michael said. "I'm sorry." 

Eric brushed it off with a solemn smile. "It's quite alright. I go visit her often. Dustin always leaves roses at her headstone. They're her favorite." 

Michael smiled a bit as the doctor inserted the needle into his arm. "That's nice." He winced a bit.

The doctor frowned. "Are you okay?"

Michael nodded. "It's nothing I'm not used to." 

After he pulled the needle out of his arm,Eric cleaned Michael up and placed a bandaid on his arm. 

Eric seemed to be thinking of something. Michael noticed. "What is it?" He asked.

Eric smiled at him,and Michael ignored the twisted feeling in his gut at the expression on his doctor's face. 

"Have you heard of a place called Evergreen?"


	11. A Place Called Evergreen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Eric have a talk,and Michael and Jeremy spend some time together.

Michael blinked. "Evergreen?" He exclaimed.

Eric grinned. "You haven't heard of it?" He asked. Michael shook his head.

Eric got up from where he was sitting,and rustled around in his briefcase. He pulled out a pamphlet. 

He handed it to Michael. On the front cover,was a serene view of a sunset and a waterfall. 

When he opened it up,his eyes wandered down to the white text at the bottom. It read,"Come join us in the Philippines! Our camp provides a welcoming space for teens ages 14-17. Complete with a lush jungle setting,you'll have the best time ever! We guarantee it."

Michael put the pamphlet down. "What's this for?" He asked. 

Eric hummed."Would you like to go there? Free of charge. It's back in your home,too." 

Michael tilted his head. "I thought I was sick?" 

Eric fought back a smirk. "Oh,you are. There's doctors in the camp though,and they'll be able to help you. What do you say?" 

"I need some time to think about it." Michael said. Eric nodded. "Okay,let me know soon." 

Michael nodded,and Eric got up and left the room.

Once he was gone,Michael flopped his head down onto the pillow. Evergreen seemed like a great place.

But what about Jeremy?

Michael didn't think he could bear to say goodbye to him. The only question on his mind was, "Do I tell him how I feel before I go?" 

Michael was pretty sure he'd burst into tears the second he tried to say goodbye to Jeremy. 

So,he made the choice that he wouldn't. He would go. And he wouldn't say goodbye to Jeremy. 

He wouldn't say goodbye to the love of his life. To the boy of his dreams. To his best friend. 

The more he thought about it,the more his brain screamed at him about what a bad idea that was. Michael ignored it.

Michael wondered what Jeremy was doing at the moment. He was probably mad at him.

He decided to push the though away,and fell asleep. He would worry about everything else in the morning.

—  
The next day when Jeremy got home from school,he grabbed the package off of the front steps.

He opened it up,and inside the box was a little black device with a touch screen.

He turned it on,and spoke a few words in Tagalog. They instantly flashed across the screen,translated into English. 

Jeremy smiled. Michael was going to love it. He told his dad that he was borrowing the car,and drove to the hospital.

Once he got there,he checked in,and made a beeline for Michael's room. He would go visit his grandma after. 

He knocked on Michael's door. "Come in." Michael said,his voice muffled by the heavy wooden door.

Jeremy walked in. "Hey Michael." 

Michael suddenly felt guilty. He stayed silent.

Jeremy walked over to him,clutching the box to his chest. 

Michael said nothing still. Jeremy smiled nervously and held the box out to him. "I,uhh-got something for you." He said. 

Michael took the box gently in his hands and looked up at Jeremy with a questionable glance. 

"Open it." Jeremy urged with a smile. 

Michael did so,and pulled the device out. 

Jeremy waited for him to realize what it was. 

Michael looked up at him. "What is it?" He asked.

"It's a translation device. So it's easier for us to communicate. Like,when you're upset,you speak Tagalog. This is so I can understand you better. And help you." He explained,stammering over his words. 

Michael felt tears well up in his eyes. He hadn't known Jeremy long,but the boy was still willing to spend hundreds of dollars on him. 

In the midst of his emotions,Michael blurted out,"Kaya kitang halikan!" 

Jeremy smiled shyly. "I don't know that one." 

A sudden look of realization came across his face. "Oh!" He reached over and pressed the translation button. 

"Say it again." He told Michael.

Michael blushed and shook his head. 

Jeremy tilted his head. "Please Michael?" 

Michael sighed and pressed the button. "Kaya kitang halikan." He repeated slowly.

He waited in agony as the words flashed across the device. "I could kiss you!" 

Jeremy's eyes widened and he looked over at Michael. 

"Michael?" He asked.

Michael just sighed. "Ako ay humihingi ng paumanhin." He whispered softly.

Jeremy shook his head. "No. Don't you dare apologize Michael." 

Jeremy leaned in close to him. "Michael." He murmured. Michael shivered when he felt Jeremy's hot breath ghost against his lips. 

A blush spread across Michael's cheeks. "Jeremy?" He asked softly.

Jeremy mustered up all of his courage. "Can I kiss you Michael?" 

Michael froze. Jeremy moved to get off of him,and Michael grabbed his wrist. "Hindi." He whispered.

Michael pulled Jeremy closer,and in one swift movement,he connected their lips.

The first thing Michael noticed when he was kissing Jeremy was how soft his lips were. He half expected them to be chapped. He decided to be bold. He licked Jeremy's top lip,and the other boy immediately opened his mouth with a soft moan.

Michael shifted to press against him,and wrapped his arms around Jeremy's waist. For a first kiss,this sure was intense already. 

Michael couldn't find it in himself to care though. He continued kissing Jeremy,his hands running up and down his back.

Jeremy pulled away to breath,and Michael let out a little whine. Jeremy smiled softly and pressed their foreheads together. 

"Michael?" He whispered. 

"Hm?" He replied.

Jeremy's hand grabbed Michael's and his thumb brushed across his knuckles.

"I'm in love with you,Michael." He whispered.

Time seemed to stop. Until it was just the two of them,Jeremy and Michael,alone in their own little world. 

"Ako rin." Michael replied.

A smile spread across Jeremy's face. He suddenly leaned in,and kissed Michael again. 

"Mahal kita Jeremy." He mumbled against his neck once he pulled away. 

"Mahal din kita Jeremy." Michael replied,pressing a kiss to the top of his head. 

Things were perfect. If only for now.


	12. Time Together,Before You Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael gives Jeremy something important,and Jeremy does the same in return.

Michael woke up with Jeremy wrapped around him,his limbs tangled with the other boy's.

He suddenly remembered what had happened not too long ago. He smiled hazily,and reached down to run his fingers through Jeremy's hair.

The other boy responded by nuzzling closer to him,and sighed softly. That's when a knock on the door sounded.

Michael groaned. "Come in,I guess." 

One of his mothers opened the door. She smiled warmly. "Hi sweetheart." 

She noticed Jeremy and gave Michael a coy smile. "Oh. I see what's happening. I'll leave you two be. Eric will be in soon to give you your medicine." 

She shut the door behind her. As the door shut,Jeremy opened his eyes.

Michael looked down at him. It was late afternoon,around 4:30. The setting sun was peeking in through the curtains,which were closed.

The sunlight steaming in through the window cast a faint glow on Jeremy's face,highlighting his freckles. Michael thought he had never looked more beautiful. 

Jeremy yawned and shifted closer to him. "How long were we asleep for?" He asked.

Michael checked his Pac-Man watch. "A couple hours." A beat. "I think." 

Jeremy arched his back and legs,stretching out like a cat. He then yawned once more,and wrapped his arms tighter around Michael.

"You're warm." He said.

Michael chuckled. "I know." 

Jeremy shifted a bit,and turned his head. The TV emitted a soft glow. "I like this show." He said. Brooklyn Nine Nine was playing.

Michael cocked his head. "I've never seen it." 

Jeremy smiled. "It's my favorite. Watch." 

Michael looked at the screen. There was a scene of of a man standing in various places,screaming "Bone!" at the top of his lungs.

Michael didn't understand it,but it seemed to crack Jeremy up.

Michael was glad to see him happy. Especially since he'd be leaving soon. And he didn't know when,or if he was coming back. 

About ten minutes passed,and the episode had ended. 

Eric opened up the door,letting the bright fluorescent lights from the hallway stream in. 

Jeremy hurriedly pushed himself off of Michael,much to other boy's chagrin. 

As soon as Eric got into the room,he flicked the light switch on. 

Michael groaned at the bright light. Eric smiled at him. "Hello Michael. Hello Jeremy." 

Jeremy waved hesitantly at him,but kept silent. Eric walked over to Michael,who instinctively pulled up his sleeve.

He prepared and cleaned the needle that contained Michael's medicine. 

He slowly inserted it into his arm,and Jeremy noticed that Michael didn't flinch. He must be used to it by now.

As soon as he was finished,Eric placed a bandaid on Michael's arm. "Have the medications been working?" He asked.

Michael shrugged. "I guess. I don't feel any different since I got here." 

Eric frowned slightly for a moment,and Jeremy caught it. 

"I'll have them go ahead and up your medication. I'll leave you boys alone." Eric said,before leaving the room. 

As soon as he was sure he was gone,Jeremy crawled back on the bed next to Michael and put his head on his chest.

Michael lifted his arm the best he could to wrap it around Jeremy.

"Can I ask you something Michael?" Jeremy asked. 

Michael just nodded. 

Jeremy took to tracing shapes on the back of Michael's hand with his pointer finger. 

A beat of silence passed. 

"Why are you here?" 

Michael's eyes turned sad. "I don't know." 

Jeremy frowned. "How long have you been here for?" 

Michael thought for a moment. "A couple months,I think." He replied.

Jeremy hugged him tighter. "What's it like back in your home?" He asked.

Michael smiled. "Beautiful. Like you. The water's as clear as your eyes." 

Jeremy blushed. "You're just saying that." 

Michael kissed his head. "It's true." 

Jeremy cuddled closer to him. That's when a sudden realization struck him. He jolted up. "Michael?" 

He looked at him. "Yes?" 

Jeremy frowned again. "You've never been sick,have you?" 

Michael slowly shook his head. Jeremy paused to think.

"Michael,I think the medicine Eric is giving you is making you sick." He said. 

Michael tilted his head. "What do you mean?" 

Jeremy held his hand tighter. "I think Eric is making you sick." 

Michael's face paled. "You think so?" 

Jeremy nodded sadly. Michael's eyes welled up with tears. "I wanna go home Jeremy." 

Jeremy just held him tighter. "I know Michael."

A tear slipped out from his eye. "I love you Jeremy." His voice was shaky.

Jeremy choked on a sob. "I love you too Michael." 

Jeremy reached up to whisper in his ear. "I'm gonna get you out of here Michael." He promised.

Michael thought about Evergreen. One of the advantages to it,would that he would be able to go home. One of the disadvantages is that he'd have to leave Jeremy.

Which of those things met more to him? His home and his family,or the love of his life? Michael didn't want to have to choose between them.

Jeremy suddenly got up and walked over to his bag. He pulled out a box from it,and handed it to Michael. "Here." 

Michael looked up at him. "What is it?" 

Jeremy smiled. "Just open it." 

Michael opened up the box,and there was a pair of white headphones in it,along with another smaller box.

Michael looked at Jeremy in surprise. "For me?" He asked. 

Jeremy nodded. "Open the other one." 

Michael did,and there was a device with a touch screen inside. 

"It's for you to listen to music. You can put songs you like on there." Jeremy told him.

Michael stood up shakily,and pulled Jeremy into a hug. He had an idea. A parting gift,in a way.

After he pulled away from the hug,Michael grabbed his hoodie that was folded on the edge of the bed. 

He clutched it tightly in his hands. He had had the hoodie since he was about ten years old. He had bought it from an old woman,along with patches to iron onto it. 

He held it up to Jeremy. "I want you to have this."

Jeremy gasped. "Michael.." 

Michael pushed it into his arms. "To thank you for everything. I want you to keep it." 

Jeremy frowned. "Michael,this is your favorite hoodie. You wear it all the time." He said.

Michael just smiled. "It's for you to remember me. When I'm gone." 

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?" 

Michael caught himself. "Nowhere. But you can wear it when you miss me." 

Michael felt terrible lying to his boyfriend,but it was for the best. At least,that's what he told himself.

Jeremy slipped his hoodie on,and it was rather large on him. Michael smiled fondly at him. He knew he would be leaving to go back home soon. To Evergreen.

This would maybe be the last time he ever saw Jeremy. So when they walked back over to the bed,Michael made sure to hug him extra tight.

He held his hand,and kissed him over and over again. Jeremy thought Michael was just being overly affectionate,but Michael knew the truth. 

It was only a matter of time until Jeremy did too.


	13. Promise Me,For Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Grandma Beth have a heart to heart,and she gives him some upsetting news. She also makes him make her a promise.

After Jeremy had left,Michael started to think over what he had said. Was Eric really making him sick?

Michael didn't remember much before he got to the hospital. He just remembered fainting back at home in the Philippines,and then waking up in a hospital in New Jersey. It was supposedly "the best in the country." "Yeah,right." Michael thought.

Eric burst into the room,pulling Michael out of his thoughts. He was carrying a suitcase. "I'm glad you said yes. Evergreen will be a great place for you." Eric said with a smile.

Michael's stomach twisted,but he grabbed the suitcase from Eric nonetheless. He would be leaving tonight.

He had a bad feeling about Evergreen,but he decided to ignore it at the moment. However,after Jeremy had left and he was alone,Michael began to prepare something. 

He took the device Jeremy had gave him,along with the headphones,and added a bunch of songs to a playlist for Jeremy.

After he had finished that,he wrote Jeremy a letter. He decided he would hide his translation device in his suitcase,so that he would be able to take it home with him. 

He took the letter and everything else to Grandma Beth's rooms,and asked her to hold onto it for him. After all,he wouldn't be able to give it to Jeremy himself. 

Michael packed his gameboy and other items,and soon,all the things that made the hospital room his were gone.

He wasn't the boy at the end of the corridor anymore.

He was the boy leaving behind everyone he loved.

When he delivered the items to Beth,she held them tightly to her chest. "I'll keep them safe for you. For as long as I can." 

Michael hugged her tearfully. "I'll miss you." 

He went slack suddenly. "What do you mean,as long as you can?" He asked.

Beth sighed. "Oh dear. I'm afraid this is a bit hard to explain." 

Michael frowned. "Beth?" 

She smiled sorrowfully at him. "I don't have much time left Michael." 

His eyes widened. "You mean?" He cut himself off. Grandma Beth nodded.

"They said it'll probably be a couple of weeks,until.." She trailed off.

Tears slipped down Michael's face. "Beth.." She cooed gently and urged him forward. She hugged him. 

"I'll miss you." Michael repeated. Beth released him and nodded. "I know. Which is why I wanna give you one of these. Jeremy has the one too." 

She handed him a small brick looking flip phone. Michael slipped it into his pocket. "Thank you." 

Beth smiled. "I'll be sure that Jeremy gets the letter and everything. I'll give to my son,his father." She explained. 

Michael nodded. Beth held out her hand,and Michael grabbed it. He noticed it was under oxygenated,and it was a faint blue color. He swallowed hard.

She lifted up her other wrinkled hand,and placed it on top of his. "Please promise me you'll be back for him. No matter what it takes. Can you promise me that,Michael?" 

Michael swallowed the lump in his throat,trying hard not to cry. "I promise Beth." He told her.

She put her hand on his shoulder,and used her other hand to wipe the tears that started to stream down his face.

"You better go finish getting ready. You're leaving tonight,right?" She asked. Michael nodded.

Much to his surprise,Beth shakily got up from her hospital bed and hugged him. "Goodbye Michael." 

He hugged her back,tightly,as if he never wanted to let her go. He didn't.

"Goodbye Beth." 

He exited the room,every step heavier than the last. He felt as if he was letting Beth go forever. He was.

He took a deep breath,and made his way back down the hall. 

Once he reached his room,he put the phone into his suitcase. He looked around the room. Everything was packed. He remembered his hoodie all of a sudden,and stopped.

He remembered that he had given it to Jeremy. He was probably wearing it right now. The thought made Michael smile,despite the circumstances.

One of his mothers walked into the room,holding a blue piece of clothing. She smiled at him,although it seemed strained. 

"Jeremy has a lot of schoolwork tonight,so he won't be able to make it. But his father dropped this off. Jeremy wants you to have it,as a thank you for the hoodie." She said,handing Michael the cardigan.

His hands shook as he held the blue cardigan tightly in his grasp. His mother pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'll leave you alone for a few." She said.

Michael held the cardigan to his nose,and detected a faint whiff of the cheap cologne that Jeremy wore,and a mix of the sterile hospital smell,since he was there so often.

Michael had never wanted to hold someone so badly in his entire life. He unzipped his suitcase and stuffed the cardigan inside,before zipping it back up again. Now,he was done packing for real. 

He put his suitcase down next to his bed,and sat down on it. The blankets were still strewn,the bed unmade. 

Michael turned on the tv,and the same shoe Jeremy was watching the other day was on. 

Michael didn't exactly understand why Jeremy liked the show so much,but Jeremy had told him that it was his favorite. So,it was Michael's favorite too.

As long as it made Jeremy happy. 

Michael tried not to let himself think about letting Jeremy go. He wished the other boy was next to him. 

Michael started to imagine what he would do if Jeremy was next to him. He would kiss him all over,and hug him tightly,and never let him go.

Unfortunately,he wasn't there. And soon,Michael wouldn't be either. 

Sometimes,he wished he'd never left the Philippines. But then if he hadn't,he never would've met Jeremy. 

He figured that he just had to take the and with the good.

And so when Michael left to go to the airport that night,he put on Jeremy's cardigan. 

He wasn't going to let him go that easily.


	14. Confrontation,In More Ways Than One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy learns the news of what happened to Michael,and has a run in with Dustin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW:Panic attacks

When Michael boarded the plane,it was early in the morning. About 4:30,to be exact. He wore a face mask just in case,and sat next to a window seat.

His mothers had their own seats together,so Michael was alone in his seat. He placed his carry on next to him. 

He was still wearing Jeremy's cardigan,and was currently playing his gameboy. 

After a while he got bored of it though,so he saved his game and turned it off,placing it back in his bag. Plane rides sure were boring. 

It was almost 18 hours,with only one layover.Michael hated flying.

A sudden realization struck him. The closer he got to home,the farther he would be away from Jeremy. He couldn't deal with that thought right now. So,he decided to go to sleep for a while.

Meanwhile,Jeremy was at school. He was sitting in the back of the class,wearing Michael's hoodie. He was incessantly tapping the end of the pencil on the surface of the desk.

Rich,who sat next to him,put his finger on the pencil. "Could you stop that?" He asked. Jeremy blushed. "Sorry." 

Rich's eyes softened. "Are you doing okay?" He asked Jeremy.

The boy next to him just shook his head. "It's my grandma." He whispered. 

Rich sighed. "Is she going to-" Jeremy cut him off with a nod. 

Rich sighed again and reached for Jeremy's hand. He squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry man." 

Jeremy squeezes his hand back. "It's alright,I guess. As long as I have Michael,I'll be ok." He smiled gently.

Rich just nodded. "Yeah. Michael." Jake sat on the other side of Jeremy,and his eyes locked with Rich's. They both shared a worried expression.

They knew something about Michael that Jeremy didn't. Jeremy's attention turned back to his paper,and he continued speaking.

"By the way,I'm thinking of going to visit Michael after school today. You guys wanna come?" He asked them.

Rich and Jake shared a glance,and Jeremy caught it. "What?" He asked nervously.

Rich sighed. They couldn't keep it from him forever. "Jeremy?" 

He gave Rich a weird look. "Yeah?" 

Rich took a deep breath. "Michael went back to the Philippines." 

Jeremy's eyes went wide,and his chest tightened. He felt a panic attack coming on,and he barely registered what he was doing as he raised his hand and asked the teacher to go to the bathroom. 

Suddenly,something within Dustin snapped. He grinned and stood up,blocking Jeremy from exiting the room. 

As soon as Rich saw him do that,he went to stand up. Jake grabbed him by the shoulder and made him sit down. 

Jeremy was shaking. "Move." 

Dustin snickered. "What if I don't?" 

Jeremy started shaking more. "Get the fuck out of my way Dustin." 

The teacher said nothing about the swear word. She stared at him. "Dustin,please move out of the way." She said.

Dustin smiled at her and moved out of the way of the door. Jeremy shoved the door open and slammed it shut behind him. However,the second he did that,Dustin followed him out before the teacher could stop him.

Rich stood up instantly and ran out of the room after Jeremy before Jake could say anything,and in the heat of the moment,Jake got up and ran after him.

The teacher sighed. "Let's just continue the lesson for now. I'm sure everything will work itself out." 

Christine looked through the window that peered into the hall worriedly. She hoped everything would turn out alright.

The teacher continued the lesson,occasionally stopped to take glances out the door and down the hall.

Jeremy ran down the hall and into the boy's bathroom. He locked himself in the very last stall,and began to cry. 

He heard footsteps,and silently prayed it was just a random student going to the bathroom. He heard two loud knocks sound on the door,and he choked on a sob. 

He heard Dustin snicker. "Open up,Heere." 

Jeremy heard two more pairs of footsteps enter the bathroom. He assumed it was Rich and Jake. He was right. 

Rich grabbed Dustin by the shoulder,and slammed him against the wall. "What the fuck's your problem dude?" He hissed.

Dustin wriggled out of his grasp,only to be grabbed by Jake. "Answer him." 

Dustin went to punch him,but was stopped abruptly went Jake began to bend his arm back. 

He went limp. "My problem?" He asked with a chuckle. "You guys are the ones who're friends with the freak in there." He said,pointing to the stall.

Rich grimaced. "If you knew why he was in there,you'd change your mind about that." 

Despite his predicament,Dustin grinned. "I'm sure I would. Lay it on me." 

Rich groaned. "Jer,show him your hoodie." 

Dustin laughed as Jeremy opened the door. "What about his h-" 

He stopped when his eyes landed on the red fabric. It was Michael's hoodie. Dustin shook himself from Jake's grip,and grabbed Jeremy by the sleeve of the hoodie,pulling him forward.

"Where the fuck did you get that? Did you take it from him? I swear to god,Heere-" In a moment of rage,Jeremy slapped him across the face. 

"Shut up for a second,will you?" He grumbled. He sighed as Dustin stayed quiet,waiting for an explanation. 

Jeremy grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and wet,using to clean his face. Once he was done,he turned to Dustin. 

"The only reason I have this is because Michael gave it to me. And I gave him my cardigan." 

Dustin glared at him. "So is he your boyfriend?" He asked.

Jeremy shrugged. "We didn't discuss that far yet." His face fell. "And now we won't be able to. Probably ever." 

Dustin's eyes narrowed. "The fuck's that supposed to mean?" 

Jeremy opened up his mouth to speak,but started trembling instead. He turned to Rich,a desperate look in his eyes. "I-I can't." He whispered.

Rich shushed him gently. "It's alright Jer." 

His demeanor changed when he turned to Dustin,his expression turning sour. "Michael went back to the Philippines." 

Dustin put his hand over his mouth and gasped. Jeremy eyed him with a strange expression. "What is it?" 

"Oh my god. Oh my fucking god." Dustin murmured. 

Jake shook him. "What is it,man?"

Rich glared at him. "Spit it out,Dustin." 

Dustin removed his hand from his mouth,and looked at the other three boys.

"He was serious."


	15. I’m Your Sun,You’re My Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy,Rich,and Jake have a talk with Dustin,and devise a plan to save Michael. Mr.Heere learns some troubling news.

TW:the f word slur is used   
——————  
With all the force he could muster,Jeremy grabbed Dustin by the collar and slammed him into the bathroom wall.

"What do you mean,he was serious?" He asked. 

Dustin shook himself out of his grasp and sighed. "My dad. He was serious about sending Michael to a conversion therapy place." 

Jeremy's eyes widened. "You knew?" Dustin frantically shook his head. "I thought he was joking!" 

Rich gestured to him. "Why would he send Michael to conversion therapy if you're gay too? That'd make him a hypocrite." 

Dustin rolled his eyes. "First of all,I'm bi. Second,I don't know. But I'm worried about Michael." 

Jeremy clutched the rim of his boyfriend's hoodie tighter. He chewed on his bottom lip,a habit he did when he was nervous.

Then,he looked up and locked eyes with Rich. "We're going to find him." 

Jake scoffed. "Dude,I'm as worried as you are. But that's insane." 

Rich thought about it for a moment. "We have to go." He said to Jake. 

Jake glanced at him. "Why are you so suddenly on board?" He asked.

Rich sighed and grabbed his hand. "There's something I didn't tell you about. The other night,when I went home wearing your varsity jacket,my dad was awake. He saw it,and said he wouldn't have a fag as a son. He said he wanted to put me in one of those places." Rich trembled a bit as he recalled the events.

Jake's eyes widened. "Rich,you should've told me." He said,his voice barely above a whisper.

Rich wiped away the tears the were forming in his eyes,and looked over at Jeremy. "We're going. Jake's got a grandma who lives in the Philippines,and she has connections,since she used to be a flight attendant. She can get us cheap airline tickets,and we can stay at her place." He explained.

Jeremy nodded. "Jake,call your grandma. We'll all meet at my place at the end of the day." He told the group.

Dustin stood off to the side. "What about me?" He asked.

Jeremy thought for a moment. "You're coming with us. You're gonna cut off any and all contact with your dad,so he doesn't find out what we're doing."

Dustin gave him an incredulous look. "Why do I have to come?" 

Jake thought about it too. "Jeremy,if he stays,he can give us the inside scoop on whatever his dad says about Michael." He told him.

Jeremy nodded and looked up at Dustin. "Will you do that?" He asked. "For Michael?" 

Dustin nodded hesitantly. "I'll do it. For Michael. But just for him. Got that?" He asked.

Jeremy nodded. "Thank you,Dustin. Rich,Jake,come to my place after school." He told them. Jake and Rich nodded. 

"We'll be there." Jake said. Jeremy sighed and turned to Dustin. "And you. Don't tell your dad about this." 

Dustin glared at him. "Why would I? I'm still in love with Michael,you know." 

Jeremy ignored him. "Whatever. Let's just get back to class." 

As if on cue,the bell rang. The four boys rushed back to the class and grabbed their stuff. The teacher wasn't in the room. They took that as a blessing.

Once they all parted ways,the rest of the day seemed to pass quickly.

Jeremy had lunch with Rich and Jake,and he tried to invite Dustin over. He flipped him off. Jeremy shrugged. It was his loss.

After lunch,Dustin approached Jeremy. "Listen,just because I'm helping Michael,doesn't mean me and you are friends. You're still a loser. Don't forget that." 

Jeremy just rolled his eyes and walked past him. He was in his final class,with Christine. 

They were just practicing their monologues in partners today,and Christine was luckily his partner. 

"Did you memorize any of your lines?" Christine asked him. They were performing next week in front of the class.

Jeremy nodded. "I sure did." He hadn't memorized any of them. 

While Christine was silently reading over her monologue and trying to memorize it,Jeremy started thinking about how he would be able to sneak past his dad and get to the airport.

He obviously couldn't steal the car,since it belonged to his father. 

He thought about asking Rich or Jake,but he figured he could just talk to them at his house later. 

The rest of the class went smoothly,and Christine gave Jeremy a big hug before waving goodbye to him. He tightly hugged her back.

Jeremy usually rode the bus to school,but he decided to have Rich and Jake bring him home,since they were already going to his house in the first place.

When he arrived home,his father handed him a box as soon as he stepped in the door. "I'm sure you've already heard the news about Michael. I'm sorry son. This is for you." He shoved the box into his arms,a sorrowful expression on his face. 

Jeremy thanked him and walked upstairs to his room,Rich and Jake on his heels. He shut the door firmly once they were all inside,and sat down on the floor. Rich and Jake plopped down onto the red and blue beanbags that were near the tv stand.

Jeremy opened the box,and the first thing he pulled out was an iPod. The same one he had given Michael. The headphones were in there too.

"I gave these to him! Why would he-" Jeremy cut himself off when he pulled a note out. It was written in Tagalog,presumably so Eric couldn't read it.

Since he still wasn't fluent,Jeremy grabbed his translation book. 

The letter read,"Mahal kong Jeremy, ito ay may isang mabigat na puso na iniwan kita. Patungo ako sa Evergreen, isang kampo sa Pilipinas. Pinilit ako ni Eric na umalis. Sinabi niya na sasaktan ka niya kung hindi ako sumasang-ayon na pumunta. hindi ko siya papayag na saktan ka, Jeremy. ang ibig mong sabihin sa akin. Gayunpaman, handa akong pumusta na pupunta ka upang hanapin ako. mangyaring huwag. maging ligtas, mahal ko. kahit anong mangyari sa susunod, alamin mo lang na hindi mo ito kasalanan. Mahal kita ng higit pa sa araw at buwan, dahil umaasa sila sa isa't isa upang maipakita ang araw na nexy. ikaw ang aking araw, Jeremy. Ang ilaw ng aking buhay. Huwag kalimutan na, mahal ko. Mahal kita.  
-Michael, ang iyong player isa."

Jeremy flipped the paper over. On the other side,we're two haphazardly drawn pictures of Pac-Man,one with a blue cardigan,and the other with a red hoodie and glasses.

Jeremy dropped the letter,and tears started to flow freely down his face. 

Rich picked it up. "What's it say?" He asked. 

Jake grabbed it from him. "I think Michael wrote it in Tagalog so that doctor guy wouldn't be able to understand it. After all,it's addressed to Jeremy." 

"He doesn't want us to go find him. He wants me to be safe." Jeremy told them.

Before they could say anything,Jeremy chuckled and shook his head. "Fuck that. Michael's the love of my life. I'm going to find him." 

Jeremy stood up,and dumped all the contents of his backpack onto his bed. He then went around his room,and started stuffing things into it. 

Once he was done,he looked at Rich and Jake. "Are you guys in?" 

Rich nodded. "I'm in." Jake put his hand on his shoulder. "So am I." 

The three boys then stayed up all night in Jeremy's room,concocting a plan.

Meanwhile,Mr.Heere was downstairs,sobbing quietly. He had just gotten the second worst phone call of his life.  
———————————————————————————  
Woah,okay. So,this monologue letter thing from Michael in this chapter made me start crying. (Translation below)\/ 

Dear Jeremy, it is with a heavy heart that I leave you. I am off to Evergreen, a camp in the Philippines. Eric forced me to leave. He said he would hurt you if I didn't agree to go. I won't let him hurt you, Jeremy. you mean me too much to me. However, I am willing to bet that you will come looking for me. please don't.Be safe, my dear. Whatever happens next, just know that it's not your fault. I love you more than the sun and the moon, because they depend on each other to make the other shine bright. you are my sun,Jeremy. The light of my life. Don't forget that, my love. I love you.  
-Michael, your player one

(Reminder,google translate is not always accurate,so this is a rough translation!)

Anyways,I wonder what that phone call is? What was Mr.Heere's first worst phone call of his life? That'll be revealed later in the story (•:<


	16. The News About Her/The Feelings For Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy receives some troubling news,which leads to some even more troubling feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who’s ready for some saucy Rich/Jake/Jeremy angst?

Mr.Heere walked up the stairs,and knocked on Jeremy's door. 

After a few seconds of incoherent mumbling,Jeremy opened the door. "What is it?" He asked.

He noticed his father's face and eyes were red,and he had tear streaks running down his face. "Grandma Beth died." He choked out.

Jeremy gasped. He covered his mouth with his hand,and hot tears began to pour down his cheeks.

He felt like everything was falling apart. First Michael leaves,and now his grandmother dies? 

He let his mind start to wander. What if Michael was gone too? Jeremy shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't need to think about that right now. 

Rich heard him sobbing,and opened the door. "Jer,you okay?" He paused when he saw him crying.

He frowned. "Jer,come here. Tell us what's wrong." 

Mr.Heere just patted his son on the shoulder and walked downstairs. "I need to make some phone calls." He said.

Jeremy stumbled into his room,and into Rich's arms. Jake sat up. "Dude,what's wrong?" He asked.

Jeremy hiccuped. "G-Grandma Beth. She di-" A sob broke out through his words.

Rich's eyes widened. "She's gone?" Jeremy nodded. Rich began to tear up as well. 

Jeremy hugged him tightly,and Jake got up to wrap the two of them in a hug. All three boys stood there,crying.

After what felt like an eternity,Jeremy rubbed his eyes and pulled away from the hug. "I'm tired." He said,his voice hoarse.

Rich nodded and looked down,picking up a pair of sweatpants from the laundry basket that was on the floor. "Here,put these on. Go wash your face,and get some sleep. You need it." He told Jeremy.

Jeremy grabbed the pants from him. "Will you guys-" He paused. "Never mind." 

Jake lightly touched his shoulder. "What is it?" He asked. 

"Will you guys stay with me? For a little while,at least? I-I don't wanna be alone right now." Jeremy sniffled.

Rich nodded. "Of course I'll stay,Jer." 

Jake nodded next to him. "I'll stay too,man. We can stay the night,if you want us to." 

Jeremy smiled a bit at that. "I'd like that. Thanks,guys. You can borrow some clothes." 

Mr.Heere stayed downstairs for the rest of the night,presumably making phone calls to other family members,and funeral arrangements. 

Jeremy had gone downstairs to check on him,and his dad told him he was alright. Jeremy knew that was a lie. 

When he went back upstairs,Jeremy noticed that Rich was wearing his AOTD shirt. It was big on him,and hung down to his knees. 

Jeremy blushed when he saw him,and Rich did the same when he noticed him standing in the doorway. Jake was in the bathroom,getting changed.

Rich's face was redder than the streak in his hair. "Sorry dude,did you wanna wear this? I should've asked." He said.

Jeremy waved his hand. "Nah,it's all good. It looks better on you. You look cute." Jeremy accidentally let that slip.

Rich blushed. "You look cuter. In those sweatpants,especially." He winked.

Jeremy snorted. "Shut up,man." He nudged him. "So how're things with Jake?"

Rich shrugged. "I haven't told him about my feelings yet. I know he knows they're there,but I don't know how to tell him."

Jeremy smiled. "I'm sure you'll reel him in soon enough." He looked at Rich with an endearing expression on his face.

Rich squirmed a little bit. "Can I ask you something?" 

Jeremy nodded. "Of course." 

Rich turned to face him. "Why do you flirt with me if you have a boyfriend?" 

Jeremy shrugged. "Why do you flirt back if you like Jake?" He said the other boy's name in a whisper. 

Rich blushed. "Because I know I don't have a chance. I can't tell him,Jeremy. I just can't." 

Jeremy sighed and got up,locking his door. He didn't notice that it hadn't fully locked,and sat back down next to Rich.

He looked at the shorter boy next to him. "Kiss me,Rich." He said.

Rich jolted. "What? Jeremy,I-" 

Rich noticed Jeremy was crying again. "Please,Rich. I'm so numb. I need to feel something." 

Rich shook his head. "Jer,I can't. You're dating Michael." 

"Please,Rich. Please kiss me. I need it." Jeremy begged,tears sliding down his face. 

Rich started to become slightly frustrated. "Jeremy,look. I still like you. But,I like Jake more. I'm sorry. Plus,are you forgetting about Michael?" Rich gave him a stern look.

Jeremy said nothing. He then leaned forward,and before Rich could stop him,Jeremy's lips were on his. 

Rich went to push him off,but that's when Jeremy kissed him deeper. He pulled away for a second,and mumbled a gentle,"Rich.." against the other boy's lips.

Rich shivered and shifted closer to Jeremy,who wrapped his arms around the smaller boy. 

Jeremy slipped his hands up Rich's (his) shirt,and Rich moaned into his mouth. 

"Jer,fuck.." Rich panted,pulling away from the kiss. A thin trail of saliva connected them. 

Rich's head was all foggy. "Jer,we can't be doing this.."

Jeremy's hot breath ghosted over his lips. "I need you,Rich. I need to feel something. Please,make me feel something." 

Rich couldn't deny the fact that he was aroused,but he was ashamed of it. The guilt was already eating away at him.

Jeremy pushed him back a bit,until Rich's back hit the beanbag. 

He hovered over him,and slid his hands back up his shirt. He kissed Rich again,and the boy didn't object. 

They kept kissing,and neither boy noticed when Jake opened the door. 

All of a sudden,he dropped the object he was holding.

Rich's eyes shot open,and he shoved Jeremy off of him. 

"Jake!" He gasped. "I-It's not what it looks like-" 

Jake said nothing,but grabbed his car keys off of Jeremy's bureau. He slammed Jeremy's door shut. 

Rich just sat there,mouth agape. Jeremy did the same,but all he could hear was Michael's voice in the back of his head.


	17. Feelings Are Complicated For Everyone (But Mostly Boys In This Case)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rich and Jeremy find out how to get Jake back.

Rich sat there in shock. He shoved Jeremy off of him,and felt tears beginning to cloud his vision.

Jeremy moved towards him. "Rich,I'm so-" 

Rich whipped his head around,cutting him off. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" He hissed.

Jeremy had a hurt expression on his face. "What?" He asked.

Tears began to slip down Rich's face. "Why the fuck did you kiss me? You have a boyfriend,Jeremy." He said,his voice shaking.

"Why you'd kiss me back?" Jeremy asked. 

Rich threw his hands up. "I don't fucking know!" 

Now,Jeremy was crying too. "I needed to feel something. I'm so sorry,Rich." 

Rich just sighed. "We need to get Jake to come back. We can't find Michael without him."

Jeremy nodded. "I'll text Dustin and give him Jake's number. He might listen to him." 

Rich just laid his head back and closed his eyes. "This whole situation is fucking bullshit." 

Jeremy nodded absentmindedly as he texted Dustin. He didn't even register what he had texted before he hit send.

Dustin replied back with,"K." 

Jeremy sighed and collapsed down onto the bed. "I just want him back." 

Rich got up from the beanbag,and settled down next to Jeremy on the bed.

He hugged him. "I know." 

Jeremy hugged him back,but the moment was cut short when his phone rang. 

It was Jake. He picked up immediately. "Jake?" He exclaimed.

"Put Rich on the phone." Was all Jake said.

Jeremy decided not to argue,and handed the phone to Rich.

"Hey Jake." Rich said. 

"Rich,I love you." Jake told him.

Rich's eyes widened. "Jake.." He began.

"I know I've been giving off mixed signals,but I really do love you Rich. Seeing you kiss Jeremy really hurt." Jake replied. 

Tears began to fall down Rich's cheeks. "I-It really hurt me too,Jake. I love you too." Rich said.

He heard Jake chuckle on the other side of the phone. "Good. I was hoping you would. I'll be back at the house soon. Dustin explained everything. Will you put Jeremy back on?"

Rich smiled to himself,glad that everything was resolved. "Yeah." He said,handing the phone to Jeremy,who was preparing himself for the worst.

"Jeremy." Jake said.

"Jake." Jeremy replied. "I'm so sorry." 

"It's alright. Dustin explained everything. Contrary to what we believe,he's not actually a bad guy at heart. He was worried about you,you know. He knows how much you mean to Michael." Jake told him.

Jeremy was confused. "How did he know that?" He asked.

Jake laughed. "I'm gonna bet you don't know this,but every time Dustin and Michael were alone,Michael would talk about you. Every. Single. Time." 

Jeremy felt a warm flutter in his chest. "Get back here as soon as you can. We're planning." He said to Jake.

"I'm about five minutes away." Jake replied,hanging up the phone.

"I'm glad everything worked out." Rich said as Jeremy plugged in his phone.

"Me too." Jeremy said,turning on his tv. 

His game system was plugged in,and Apocalypse Of The Damned flashed across the screen.

Jeremy smiled a bit and looked up at Rich,holding up the other controller. "Wanna play?" He asked.

Rich nodded and slid himself off the bed,grabbing the controller.

They blasted through virtual zombies,until Jake knocked on Jeremy's bedroom door. 

He paused the game and got up to open the door. As soon as Jake got inside the room,Rich clung onto him.

Jake chuckled and pulled him into a hug. "I missed you." 

Rich blushed. "I missed you too." 

Jeremy averted his eyes back to the screen,feeling lonelier than ever. Jake must've noticed this,because he urged Jeremy to come over to them.

Jeremy got up shyly,and let Jake pull him into the hug.

Once they all parted,they sat in a circle on the floor. 

"Okay so I contacted my grandmother,and she's able to get us a flight for one hundred dollars,so we'll have to pool our money together." 

Jeremy nodded. "I already have a passport,since my dad and I went to London when I was younger." 

Jake nodded. "Rich and I both have passports too." He scrolled through his phone,and found their digital tickets. "We'll have to print these." He said.

"We can use the computer and printer in the basement when my dad goes to bed." Jeremy said.

"Alright,we leave at 2:30 am on Saturday,get to the airport for 3:30,and board the plane around 4:30." Jake told the group.

Jeremy sighed. "Alright. I can't believe we're doing this." 

"Me neither." Jake and Rich both said at the same time. 

Jeremy found a spare controller in his closet,and plugged it into the console and the tv. 

He and Rich played Apocalypse Of The Damned with Jake,until it was around 11:30 at night.

Jeremy snuck downstairs and into his dad's room,and sure enough,Mr.Heere was asleep.

Jake and Rich followed him down to the basement,and shut the door.

Jeremy turned on the computer,and copied the link Jake had sent him for the tickets. 

He printed them out,and held them close. These were more than just his flight tickets,they were his tickets to Michael.

He and the other two boys snuck back upstairs to his room,and Jeremy put the tickets in his drawer for safe keeping. 

It was Thursday night,which meant that they left in two days. Jake and Rich were gonna stay over tomorrow night too,and the three of them would leave early Saturday morning. They would be taking Jake's car. 

Jake checked the time on his phone. "It's 12:30,we should get some sleep." He said. Jake has already packed all his stuff,as had Rich. While his dad was at work,Rich had taken all of his stuff from his house,and moved it into Jake's. He lived there now. After all,it's not like his father ever cared. His mother was never around,even since he was a child.

So,Jeremy decided he would pack when he got home from school tomorrow.

As the boys drifted off to sleep,Jeremy dreamt of being reunited with Michael.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry about the delay in chapters. The next chapter will be focused on Michael. Thanks for reading!


	18. Somewhere Only They Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Michael learns of Eric’s true intentions,he and his mothers plan to escape. Michael finds a secret that his mothers had been keeping,and has a glimmer of hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look idk how this chapter works either just go with it ok. Also,the next chapter will focus of Dustin and the three boys.

The Philippines was just as Michael had remembered. Luscious green scenery,and a bustling atmosphere full of happy people. 

Unfortunately,that's not where Michael was headed. They drove past the town,much to the confusion of Michael and his mothers. 

"Where are you taking us?" One of them asked.

"The question isn't where we're taking you,the question is where we're taking him." The driver said,gesturing to Michael.

"What?" Michael exclaimed. "I thought I was going to Evergreen?" 

The driver chuckled. "You don't really think that Evergreen is a nice place,do you?" He asked.

Michael gulped. "What do you mean? Eric wouldn't send me somewhere unsafe." 

The driver rolled his eyes in the mirror. "You're too trusting for your own good,Michael." He said.

Michael froze. "How do you know my name?" 

The driver shook his head. "Don't worry about that. We're almost there." 

Michael's mothers exchanged a look. One of them reached over and unlocked the door when the driver wasn't paying attention.

"What're we gonna do?" Michael asked. 

His mother turned to him. "You have all your luggage right?" She asked quietly.

Michael nodded. "I've got everything." He replied.

She nodded. "I'm gonna unlock the door,and the three of us are gonna run. I don't know where we're going to go,but we have to run. Can you do that Michael?" She asked.

"Mhm." Michael replied. "I'm ready."

His mother reached over and unlocked the door,and jerked the handle. It swung open,and she jumped out. Michael and his other mother followed,much to the surprise of the driver. 

"Hey! Come back here!" He shouted,slamming on the breaks.

The three kept running,not looking back. Michael hoped they would end up somewhere far from where he was originally supposed to go.

He couldn't believe it. He had trusted Eric with his life,since he got to the hospital for the first time. He realized with a shudder that at any point,Eric could've killed him and made it look like an accident. 

He pushed those thoughts away as he realized that Jeremy was right. Of course he was. Everything about Jeremy was always right.

Michael wondered how he was doing. He felt bad for not formally saying goodbye to Jeremy,but he wasn't sure he could take it if he tried.

He just hoped Jeremy wasn't too upset with him. He didn't know if he could take that.

They kept running,until they reached the woods. His mother's eyes widened,and she turned to her wife. "Do you think it's still here?" She asked.

Her wife nodded. "I think so. Let's check." 

"What are you guys talking about?" Michael asked.

They continued walking through the woods,until Sabrina stopped in near some bushes. She dug through them,and found a giant hole with a ladder in it.

"It's still here!" She called to Monae,who smiled at her. 

"Wonderful. Go down,and see if anything has changed. We'll meet you down there." She told her.

Sabrina nodded and started down the ladder. Once she reached the bottom of the hole,she brushed her hands off and began to look around. 

A couple seconds later,Michael stumbled down the ladder. 

"What's this?" He asked his mother. 

Monae stepped down the ladder and gasped. "Oh,this place hasn't changed a bit." She said.

"Ma,what is this place?" Michael asked. 

"This is your mother and I's secret hideout from when we were teenagers. We used to meet each other here every single day."

Sabrina sighed in contentment and pulled her wife into a hug. "I missed this place. It's good to be back." 

Monae smiled. "I missed it too." 

Michael sometimes felt sad when he saw them together. He wished that could be him and Jeremy. One day.

Moanae gasped. "Honey,look at this!" She exclaimed.

She ran her fingers over the wood furnishings of the ladder. 

Sabrina came over and smiled. "It's still there." She said.

Michael walked over and looked at the ladder. Both of his mothers initials were carved into it,with a plus in between them,and a heart around them. 

Michael ran his fingers over it,and his eyes welled up with tears.

Sabrina noticed,and frowned. She pulled Michael into her arms. "What's wrong mahal ko?" She asked.

"Sobrang miss ko siya." Michael babbled. 

Monae frowned as well. "I know you miss Jeremy. I promise you'll see him again." 

"Hindi sapat ang isang pangako." Michael muttered.

Sabrina sighed. "Believe me,I know. It's not the same,but your mother and I weren't always allowed to be together. That's why we had this place." She explained.

Monae put her hand on his shoulder. "At least you're home now." 

Michael lightly shrugged her off. "Hindi na ito pakiramdam tulad ng bahay. Nasa bahay si Jeremy." 

Sabrina hugged him tightly. "You're his home too,Michael. That's why we're going to make sure you get back to him." 

Michael sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Okay." He said.

He was no longer as upset,so he now he decided to speak English instead. 

"What now?" He asked.

Sabrina tapped her chin in thought. "I suppose the coast is clear. I still have the house keys. Let's go there." 

Michael nodded. His mother checked the map on her phone,and found that they were close to the house.

They began walking to the house,and arrived there about fifteen minutes later.

Sabrina went up to the door,and found that it was unlocked already. She cautiously walked inside,her wife and her son following behind her. 

Much to her surprise,her mother was sitting on the couch,watching television. 

"Mama?" Sabrina exclaimed. 

The old woman on the couch turned around. "Sabrina!" She smiled. "Nagtataka ako kung kailain ka babalik. Inalagaan ko si Pac." 

At the mentioning of his name,Michael's dog Pac came running downstairs. It jumped up on Michael's legs to be pet.

Michael chuckled and leaned down,patting the golden retriever on the head. "Na-miss kita,Pac." He said. The dog licked him in response.

Michael decided he needed some time alone,so he wandered upstairs to his room after talking with his grandma for a bit. 

He was going to make a plan to get back to New Jersey. No matter what it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> "Sobrang miss ko siya"-"I miss him so much."
> 
> "Hindi sapat ang isang pangako"-"A promise is not enough."
> 
> "Hindi na ito pakiramdam tulad ng bahay.Nasa bahay si Jeremy"-"It doesn't even feel like home anymore. Jeremy is home."
> 
> "Nagtataka ako kung kailain ka babalik. Inalagaan ko si Pac."-"I was wondering when you would come back. I have been taking care of Pac." 
> 
> "Na-miss kita,Pac."-"I missed you,Pac."

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Here’s another one of my Wattpad stories. I hope y’all are enjoying it! This story does not have anything to do with The Boy At Sev-Elev,by the way. Thanks for reading!


End file.
